Adventures in Babysitting
by rubberglue
Summary: There are huge changes in Arthur's life - for one thing, he's an uncle to the most adorable girl. Then there's Gwen, Merlin's neighbour, who doesn't seem to like him much, which doesn't bother him at all. Not one bit, because firstly, he isn't the settling down type and secondly, even if he was the settling down type, Gwen wasn't the kind of girl he would settle down with.
1. Chapter 1

Arthur stared at the mess in the kitchen. Apple mash was spilled on the counter. The bowl that used to contain it on the floor and the spoon was probably somewhere under the refrigerator. On the stove, the pot no longer contained water and a burnt smell wafted from it.

The cause of the disaster grinned, her cheeks dimpling, as she waved one hand while simultaneously stuffing the other into her mouth.

How did she even manage to get her whole fist into her mouth?

"Ok." Arthur wiped his hand down his expensive trousers. "Stay calm. You can do this." he said out loud even though Sarah probably didn't understand a word he said. Not that it mattered because Sarah was calm. It was him whose heart was beating out of his chest. Reaching out, he quickly switched off the flame under the empty pot. It might catch fire, although Arthur wasn't really sure if that was a possibility. Metals didn't catch fire, did they?

Sarah took her fist out of her mouth and banged the both of them on the table. She gurgled excitedly.

At least she wasn't crying.

Now where did Merlin keep all the clean cloth?

The moment Arthur turned his back on Sarah, she started crying. Oh, it was a tiny whimper at first so Arthur ignored it in favour of pulling open various drawers in the hopes of locating some clean cloth. But within seconds, the whimper had morphed into a full blown cry. Swearing, then stopping quickly, Arthur spun around and lifted Sarah from her baby chair.

"It's alright, sweetie." He bounced her the way he'd seen Morgana do and whispered into her damp hair. "It's alright. Mommy will be home soon."

The crying continued, even as she fisted his hair, tugging almost painfully at it. Gently, Arthur rubbed her back, murmuring nonsense to her. Then he caught sight of the window.

"Look, Sarah, look at the cat."

Normally, Arthur thought the stray cat that Merlin kept as a pseudo-pet was little more than a minor irritation. Now, as Sarah's cries softened into sniffles as she stared at the cat, Arthur found himself harbouring a more generous view of it.

"Isn't the cat cute?"

Sarah leaned dangerously towards the cat who stared back at them from outside. Placing her sticky hands on the window, Sarah giggled. For good measure, she smacked the window a few times and Arthur watched with horror as the window became coated with the leftovers of the apple mash. Then in her excitement, Sarah turned back to Arthur and patted his cheeks, leaving a sticky residue that Arthur suspected was part saliva and part apple mash. Then she swung to the window again.

"Ah. Ah."

Arthur wasn't sure if she was calling him or the cat. But he smiled anyway, and kissed the top of her head. For a while, he carried her and they watched the cat who'd gotten bored of looking and them and was now lounging on the grass.

When he felt she wasn't about to burst into tears again, Arthur left the window and balancing her in one arm, looked around the kitchen for a clean cloth. Finally, he found Merlin's stash of cloth, helped himself to one, and wiped Sarah down, a difficult task as she seemed to think it was a game and wriggled violently in his arm.

"I'm going to put you in your chair so I can clean you up ok?"

She screamed the moment he put her down. Sighing, Arthur cuddled her to him again.

"Alright. We won't sit on the chair."

With Sarah in his arms, Arthur paced in the kitchen. A glance at the clock told him that it was soon seven. Merlin was late home, which was annoying because Arthur really didn't want to eat apple mash for dinner.

* * *

The knock woke him up. For a moment, Arthur glanced around, unsure of where he was. Then he remembered, he was at Merlin's house looking after Sarah. Sarah. Clearly, he'd fallen asleep on the sofa. Arthur jumped up and dashed to where her cot was in a corner of the living room and peered in. Aside from the occasional jerking of her limbs, she looked fast asleep. Arthur bent over the cot and touched her cheek, then her soft hair. She was so tiny.

The person knocked again, dragging Arthur's attention from Sarah. Arthur was half tempted to ignore the door. It was probably some annoying sales person. Or worse, some so-called journalists who had managed to track him down. But, whoever it was, was persistent and Arthur moved away from the cot. Letting them knock would only wake Sarah.

"What do you want?"

A young lady, dressed in a simple sweater and jeans, stood on the steps. Her hair was messily pulled up into a pony tail and her face was scrubbed clean of any make up. He looked behind her. The paparazzi he'd run into didn't look like her but one could never be too sure. Unfazed by his unfriendly greeting, her eyes drifted over him. Suddenly, he was very aware of the fact that he probably looked a mess. At the very least, he had apple mash all over him.

"Have you finished staring?" Arthur crossed his arms and glared at her. It felt like she was judging him and he didn't like it one bit.

A slight smile crossed her face. "I have. I'm Gwen, Merlin's neighbour."

"Ok." She was the one intruding so Arthur didn't think there was need for him to be friendly.

One eyebrow lifted and she regarded him again. He wished she would stop staring at him.

"I came to help."

"Help?"

She shrugged lightly. "Merlin had to work late and he asked if I could bring you dinner."

It was then Arthur noticed the plate she held in her hands. Reluctant to apologise for his behavior, Arthur opened the door wider and stepped aside. Unsurprisingly, she hesitated. Then she tilted her head up, slanted him a look that was both amused and annoyed, and stepped into the house and made her way to the kitchen. It was obvious that she knew Merlin's house well. It occurred to him that perhaps she and Merlin were more than neighbours.

He could hear cupboards being opened and closed. Worried that Sarah would hear and wake, he closed the door and went over to check on her again. She was still asleep, her tiny chest moving with every breath she took. As usual, a swell of emotion threatened to overwhelm him. So much for telling everybody he had no plans to be tied down to a family. Right now, he suspected that he was tied to this little kid forever, no matter what his father said.

"Sarah is the cutest baby I've met."

Arthur jumped.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Gwen stood beside him. "I've laid out your dinner."

"Oh right." Arthur took one last look at Sarah before following Gwen into the kitchen. The delicious smell of pie wafted into his nose and on cue, his stomach rumbled. The pie sat on the small table looking every bit as tempting as it smelled. He turned to Gwen. "Smells divine."

Not the least impressed by his praise, Gwen didn't even crack a smile. "Just something I popped into the oven. If there's nothing else, I'm going to go home."

Arthur sat at the table and looked up at where she hovered at the entrance of the kitchen. "Sure."

Just as she nodded and turned, Sarah started to cry. Arthur stood immediately but Gwen raised her hand. "I'll get her. Eat the pie while it's still warm." When he hesitated, she finally smiled. "Don't worry. I practically raised my brother. I can deal with a screaming kid."

Arthur was halfway through his pie when Gwen walked into the kitchen, Sarah in her arms. The smile on Sarah's face suggested that Gwen's claim of being able to deal with her was true. Putting his spoon down, Arthur stood.

"She just needed a diaper change." Gwen jiggled Sarah a little, causing her to giggle. "Finish the pie. I can hold her for a while more."

"Thank you. The pie is very nice."

A scoff escaped from Gwen. "So you do know how to say thank you."

"What?" He frowned up at her.

"Seeing that I brought you dinner, laid it out and washed up the mess in the kitchen and you still didn't even bother to thank me."

Her clipped tones annoyed him, even as he acknowledged she had a point. As a result, his apology came out stilted and insincere. The look that Gwen gave him could cut glass but she said nothing, buried her nose into Sarah and walked out of the kitchen.

Arthur dropped his plate into the sink then walked out to see Gwen on the sofa, bouncing a very happy Sarah on her knee. He owed her a proper apology. He wasn't used to apologizing. When you were the son of the most powerful man in town, it wasn't usually necessary.

"Gwen," Arthur started quietly. She lifted her eyes to him and for a moment, the guard she had on all the time seemed to have dropped. But with a blink, it was up again. "I am sorry that I was so unappreciative of all you did."

Her eyebrows lifted slightly. "Ok."

"Ok?" That was all she had to say?

Gwen stood and handed Sarah over. "I hope you weren't expecting me to fall all over you just because you apologized."

Sarah pulled at his hair again. "No, of course not."

"I'll be off then."

And then, it was just him and Sarah alone again. She patted his face and he kissed her.

* * *

AN: Modern AU is my weakness. I love them. Ha.


	2. Chapter 2

Merlin bounced Sarah on his lap, making silly faces at her as she laughed and swung her arms around.

"Something up at work?" Arthur tried to sound nonchalant as he flipped the channels on the television. So many channels, so few things to watch.

"I thought you said you couldn't care less about the going-ons at work." Merlin blew a raspberry at Sarah which only made her laugh more.

Arthur frowned at Merlin. "Don't get her too excited. She won't nap if she's too excited."

"Two days of babysitting and you're an expert, are you?"

Arthur leaned over and tweaked Sarah's nose, smiling when she turned her attention from Merlin to him. "I'm the one at home with her while you work."

"If anyone heard us, they would think we're a couple," sighed Merlin. "This is why I am single."

"What about your neighbour?"

"What? You mean Gwen?"

"Yes. I mean, she's pretty enough and she cooks a decent pie."

Merlin cocked an eyebrow at him. "You damn with faint praise. She was nice enough to share her dinner with you last night. You could have at least shed the arrogant, cold Pendragon act."

"What does it matter? She wasn't particularly friendly herself."

With a shake of his head, Merlin sighed. "She came to give you dinner. Not make friends with you. And I like her so I rather you not destroy my friendship with her."

"Alright," said Arthur dismissively. He wasn't even sure why he cared. Too used to people falling at his feet, Morgana would probably say. It was funny how quickly things changed. As much as he told Merlin he didn't care, he could still remember the large headlines from a two weeks ago when his father announced his departure from the family firm. And in the immediate aftermath, how people he'd thought were friends acted.

"If you're interested, your father is planning to buy over the old city hall building."

"I heard," said Arthur as he reached to take Sarah from Merlin. One thing he'd discovered since becoming an uncle was that holding a happy baby was one of the best way to ease any stress he was feeling. "I am sure people are unhappy that another of our heritage building is being destroyed."

"Ah, so you have been keeping up with the news. And I truly believed you when you said you didn't care."

Ignoring Merlin, Arthur lifted Sarah up and blew on her stomach. At the end of the day, Pendragon Holdings was still his company and despite what his father might think, Arthur only wanted the best for it and upsetting the people of the town they operated in seemed in direct opposition to that. Not that his father cared, Arthur thought bitterly.

"Not that I don't like having Sarah here, but when is Morgana coming back?"

"If all goes well, in two weeks." Arthur brought Sarah to him and kissed her. "But it's ok, right, sweetie? Because Arthur and you are going to have lots of fun when mommy isn't around."

"Well, I have to go meet my mom for tea now." Merlin hopped off the sofa and tossed the remote at Arthur. "Don't watch anything Sarah shouldn't watch!"

"Go away, Merlin and leave me and Sarah alone."

* * *

Arthur thought his life could be divided into before Sarah and after Sarah. Before Sarah, he had been the perfect son, doing whatever his father wanted no matter how uncomfortable it made him. After all, as his father often told him, success was never easy. Then Morgana had come home pregnant, refusing to name the father. That had, unsurprisingly, resulted in an all-out brawl between Morgana and Uther. One that had ended with Morgana deciding to move out of the huge family home and Arthur stuck in the middle.

Sarah started to fuss in her stroller. Shaken from his thoughts, Arthur leaned over the stroller and made some cooing noises before noticing that her favourite stuffed dog was missing.

"Woof, woof," she said, her eyes wide and sad.

"Did you throw your doggy out?" Arthur stood from the bench and crouched next to the stroller, peering around to see if he could find it.

"Looking for this?"

Lifting his head, Arthur found himself looking up at Gwen. In her hand was Sarah's stuffed dog.

"Yes, thank you." He stood and reached for it.

Instead of passing the dog to him, Gwen merely looked sardonically at him. "A thank you. Must be my lucky day."

Arthur stifled a rude retort and watched as she bent over the stroller. A smile broke over her face as she waggled the dog in front of Sarah. Of course Sarah reacted with glee, clapping her hands then pressing her head against the stuffed toy. Gwen said something to Sarah and tickled her stomach, causing her limbs to flail. As the two of them played, Arthur stood awkwardly to the side. It would probably be the height of rudeness to tell Gwen to stop playing with Sarah. And it wasn't as if he had a good reason. Plus, Sarah seemed to like Gwen.

"You know, she smells like she might need a diaper change."

That she was telling him what to do chafed and he scowled down at Gwen. "I changed her before we came out."

The shrug was slight but the disapproval contained in that tiny action came across strongly. "Suit yourself."

Gwen stood, brushing her skirt. An uncomfortable silence, broken only by Sarah's nonsensical chatter to her stuffed dog, settled over them.

It was Gwen who finally broke it. "So, you and Sarah are staying with Merlin?"

"For now."

He could see the curiosity in her eyes, just like everyone else. All of them wanted the gossip behind the breaking up of the Pendragon family. Like vultures. Self-consciously, he tugged the hood of his sweatshirt further over his head. Aside from Morgana and Merlin, Arthur wasn't about to trust anyone else.

When it was obvious he wasn't going to say anymore, Gwen gave him an amused look then leaned over the stroller again. "Good bye sweetheart. Maybe your uncle will change your diaper soon."

Sarah waved her hands and gurgled.

Gwen didn't even bother saying good bye to him, simply walking off, her heels clicking against the pavement. Annoyed, he bent down and sniffed at Sarah, his annoyance growing when Sarah did appear to need her diapers changed.

"Let's go home, Sarah."

The moment Arthur started to push the stroller towards Merlin's place, he realized what a mistake it was. Gwen was clearly on her way home as well. Now he was stuck either seeming like a stalker or talking to her. He could, he suppose, wait another ten minutes or so, before going home but he wasn't sure how long Sarah would remain calm and happy in dirty diapers. And pushing a screaming Sarah would attract far too much attention.

He cleared his throat.

Gwen stopped and turned. "Going home to change Sarah?"

"It's almost lunch time." He continued to walk until they were standing side by side. "I have to feed her as well."

"Hmm."

He should really have waited that ten minutes. Sure, they were walking together but they weren't talking and Sarah was starting to fuss, probably, Arthur thought uncharitably, because of the tension Gwen was causing.

"She's an amazingly well-behaved girl," said Gwen finally. "I remember my brother doing nothing but cry."

"Sarah is a darling. Although the way she takes to strangers, I fear for her when she can walk. She'll happily go off with anyone who even smiles at her."

Gwen laughed. "My friend has a toddler just like that. He once put a leash on her."

Horrified, Arthur stopped walking. "A leash? Like a dog?"

"Exactly. He did it once, then stopped after too many people stared at them."

"Well," said Arthur. "That's awful. I would never do that to Sarah." Clearly Gwen would, since she mentioned it. Somehow, he apparently had a list of likes and dislikes for Gwen and this he put firmly in the dislike column, next to unfriendly and bossy. The only thing in the like column was pie.

He could feel her eyes on him. "I have to admit when Merlin told me that you were staying with him and babysitting your niece, I thought he was pulling my leg."

"Why?"

"Arthur Pendragon, living in a small house? Looking after a baby? The tabloids never prepared me for that."

"Most of that crap is made up."

She didn't say anything and when he looked at her, he could see the disbelief written on her face. Galled by her unwillingness to even extend him the benefit of the doubt, he asked mulishly, "what kind of person you think I am?

Ticking off her fingers with far too much glee, Gwen said, "Ambitious, selfish, heartless and from what I've personally experienced, rude."

"There is nothing wrong with being ambitious."

"There is when you don't care what you destroy in your quest," she said coldly. "Like the community center."

Guilt washed over him. The community center had been the straw that caused the rift between him and his father and what led to him being dismissed by his father. And yet, he'd not been able to save the community center. Not that he was going to share any of this with Gwen. Gwen who like everyone in Camelot figured that reading the newspapers was enough to judge him.

Silence descended on them again but this time, Arthur didn't care. Ahead, he could already see Merlin's place. He quickened his pace, leaving Gwen to walk behind.


	3. Chapter 3

Morgana waved from the screen as Sarah clapped her hands in glee, saliva bubbling out of her mouth as she babbled to her mother. Despite Arthur's hold on her, Sarah squirmed, trying to stand on his thigh. Arthur wrapped an arm around her waist as she leaned against him.

"Say hello to mommy." Arthur lifted one of her chubby arms so she could return Morgana's wave. "Hello!"

"How's my darling baby?" Morgana cooed.

Arthur bit the inside of his cheek so he wouldn't laugh. While he'd always known that Morgana had a heart buried under her cool, brusque persona, it still amused him greatly to see the puddle she became whenever Sarah was near. Not that it was surprising.

"How are things over there?" Arthur asked as Sarah continued to babble and wave. Absently, he picked up her towel and wiped her mouth.

"A mess," sighed Morgana. "It's one thing when a company screws up, it's another when a non-profit does. I really wish I didn't have to be here to clean up the mess Agravaine left."

"Guess you won't be home any time soon?"

"Not this week, at any rate. Sorry to leave you with Sarah." Morgana made a face and Sarah laughed. "And thanks for all the videos."

"It's no problem. We're having fun right?" Arthur nuzzled Sarah's hair. "We've been going to the park and watching the birds, right? And Merlin adores her. It's not like I've anything better to do."

"And how's the job hunting coming along?"

Arthur shrugged. "You know how it is. Anyway, I have money still and I'm busy looking after Sarah."

"The reporters?"

"On the next big story which is Uther's attempt to buy and tear down the old city hall."

Morgana shook her head. "He's brilliant at making the town love him."

That made Arthur laugh, just as Sarah started to grumble. "Ah, it's meal time for the little princess."

"And what is she having today?"

"Sweet potato mash." Arthur cuddled Sarah close. "You like sweet potato, don't you?"

Sarah started to whine and squirm, her hands fisting into his hair.

"You better go," said Morgana. "Bye sweetheart!"

* * *

"This," said Arthur as he buttoned up Sarah's top, "is going to be your first adventure. We're going to sneak into my father's house, take my car and sneak out. Sound good?"

Sarah kicked her legs and blew bubbles at him.

"So you have to be good and be quiet, ok?" He lifted her out of her cot and nuzzled her. "If you cry, then big bad Uther will find us and we won't get a nice, fast car."

Arthur took Sarah's babbling as agreement. By now, buckling Sarah into her stroller was second nature to Arthur, even with her squirming and wriggling. Ever since she discovered she could use her bum to move around on the floor, she hated being strapped into the stroller. In protest, Sarah yelled a little but when Arthur placed her stuffed dog into the stroller, she settled down.

"Let's go!"

He really should have practiced putting the stroller on the bus. Slightly embarrassed, he nodded his thanks at the young woman who helped him with it.

"Gorgeous girl. What's her name?" The young woman asked as she took a seat next to him.

Arthur smiled. "Sarah. She's my niece."

"Hello, Sarah!"

Loving the attention, Sarah blew more bubbles then launched into a babble. Her limbs flailed as she reached for the young woman.

"She's a talkative one. I'm Arthur."

"I'm Elena. Nice to meet you."

For the rest of the bus ride, Arthur chatted with Elena. She was funny and entertaining, making the long bus ride go past quickly. Sarah interrupted them occasionally but Arthur was glad that aside from complaining when she threw her dog out, she was generally in a good mood.

"This is my stop," said Elena. "Maybe we can get a drink some time? Bring Sarah? Here's my name card."

When she alighted, Arthur grinned down at Sarah. "Did you like her? I did."

* * *

The main reason that Arthur was here was to collect his car – the car he bought with his first pay check, not from his father's company. Merlin had informed him that his father was out of town for a few days which meant the only person at the family house would be the housekeeper, Sefa and she rarely ventured out of the house.

At the gate of the driveway, Arthur kneeled in front of the stroller. Dropping his voice, he said, "So here's the plan. We're going to go up the driveway and then around the back to the garage. Then we'll take the car. You need to be really quiet ok?"

He placed a finger on her lips and she giggled, grabbing at his finger.

"Shh," Arthur said again.

She blew more bubbles.

The house looked empty. Taking hold of the stroller, Arthur made the walk up the driveway. It was a familiar walk, one he used to do every day just a week ago. Going past the ostentatious statue that dominated the middle of the driveway, Arthur felt his heart ache a little. In the stroller, Sarah continued to babble.

"One day, this house will be yours. I don't care what dad thinks. It will go to you."

Sarah stuffed four fingers into her mouth.

Everything went smoothly, until Arthur stood in front of his car. In the excitement of going behind his father's back and retrieving his car, he'd completely forgotten about a baby car seat for Sarah. Now, it seemed like he had two choices. Give up and try again tomorrow, or call Merlin for help.

He called Merlin.

"I can't leave work now," hissed Merlin over the phone. "Not to buy you a car seat! Catherina is staring at me."

"I can't drive without a car seat! And if I can't drive, I can't get my car back."

"Well, next time you plan something, run it by me. I'm clearly more competent than you."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "If you're so competent, then how about solving my problem?"

Merlin let out a groan. "Look. I'll call you back."

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Arthur looked down at Sarah. She probably needed a diaper change and it would be meal time for her soon as well. He wondered if Merlin would come through for him.

Sarah kicked her legs and whined.

Looking around the garage, Arthur sighed. Bending over, he picked Sarah up and sniffed at her. No wonder she was getting tetchy. He dug into his bag and pulled out her changing pad, lining the hood of his car with it.

"Look at you, being changed on a sports car. How many babies can say they have had this experience?"

Just as he secured her diaper, his phone went off.

"Ok, I solved your problem. Half an hour. Go hide or something." Before Arthur could even thank Merlin, he hung up.

"Alright Sarah, let's take a tour of your future home." Lifting her off the hood of the car, Arthur popped her back into the stroller. "We can even have lunch in the gardens. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Da-da-ba."

"I'm glad you're excited."

* * *

The bright flowers and the butterflies kept Sarah quite entertained and she even ate her broccoli mash, her least favourite flavor, with little fuss. He was wiping her mouth when his phone rang again.

"Hello? Is that Arthur?"

He frowned. He didn't recognize the number or the voice. "Yes. Can I help you?"

"Yeah. I am outside the gates. You could at least have been waiting for me there."

"Gwen?"

He heard a long sigh. "Yes, it's Gwen. Now will you come and open the gates so I can pass you the baby seat?"

"Merlin got you to buy a baby seat?"

"Look, we can have a nice, long conversation later. Can you please –"

"Alright, alright. Hold your horses." Arthur quickly jabbed at the phone, not wanting to listen to her go on. "Come on, Sarah. Let's go meet Grumpy Gwen."

Grumpy Gwen was leaning on her small car outside the gate, looking incredibly annoyed. Her eyes fell on Sarah and the annoyance faded from her face.

"Hi Sarah!" She squatted next to the stroller and wriggled her fingers at Sarah who grabbed at them, then yawned. "You're tired! Well, it's a good thing I'm here with a baby seat your uncle failed to think to bring so we can go home."

Arthur cleared his throat. "You bought a baby seat?"

"Of course not!" Gwen stood. "You can buy one for yourself. I have one from looking after Elyan's boy sometimes. Where's the car?"

"I'll go get it," said Arthur.

"Leave Sarah here. I'll keep an eye on her." She smirked at him. "I promise not to badmouth you."

With a roll of his eyes, Arthur turned sharply and marched back to the garage.

In silence, Gwen helped Arthur put the car seat in his car. Sarah dozed in the background, tired from all the excitement.

Arthur supposed he should thank her. "Not working today?"

"Lucky for you."

"Thank you," he muttered.

As usual, she slanted him a look, then shrugged. "I did it for Merlin and Sarah."

He thanked her again, with a little less annoyance, when they reached home. This time, she dredged up a smile from somewhere. As Arthur lifted Sarah from the baby seat, she started to cry. First it was hiccupy sniffles, which quickly escalated into loud wails.

"I'll get the baby seat," said Gwen.

Arthur nodded as he rocked Sarah in his arms, watching as Gwen quite competently removed the baby seat. Without a word, the baby seat in her arm, she walked off to her home.


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur closed the door to his room. "The mash is in the fridge. So is the milk. Remember to heat up the bottle –"

"Yes, you've been going through this the whole day." Merlin waved a piece of paper. "You've even written it all down here. Sarah and I will be fine."

"Call me if you run into any problems."

"Yes, yes. You're going to be late for your date."

Snagging his jacket, Arthur dashed out of the door, running straight into Gwen on the sidewalk. Gwen who, upon noticing him, pretended that she hadn't just moments ago been examining his car. Who knew she could appreciate cars? He smirked and sauntered up to her.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Proudly, he patted the car.

"I've seen better," said Gwen, shrugging, even as her hand lingered on the car.

Grinning at how badly she was hiding her interest in his car, Arthur answered, "Have you? Then I guess you wouldn't be interested in a ride in this car." He ran a hand along the hood.

"It's an old car," she said curtly.

"You say old, I say classic."

She rolled her eyes, yet the gleam of interest in them remained.

Arthur's grin widened as he opened the door. "That's too bad then because no one drives it but me."

"Probably because it'll fall apart in the hands of anyone else."

"Because no one else has the special touch I have," said Arthur.

Gwen finally smiled. It was small, but it was a smile nevertheless. "Special touch. I bet you use that line on every girl you meet."

Arthur quirked an eyebrow. "Did it work on you?"

"I know better. Men like you -" She shook her head and while she was still smiling, there was an undercurrent of bitterness.

With an exaggerated sigh, Arthur slid into the car. Men like him. What did she know about him anyway aside from the half-baked reports in the business news?

"I hope it doesn't break down on you!" But a smile played on her face and she waved as Arthur revved the engine and drove off.

* * *

Elena was already waiting outside of the restaurant when Arthur arrived. Tossing his keys to the valet, Arthur called her name.

"You're late!" she chided gently.

"Sorry. Got caught up with Sarah."

Slipping her hand in his arm, Elena smiled up at him. "Well, I'm starving. Shall we?"

The thing was, Arthur liked Elena. She was pleasant to talk to, pleasant to look at, pleasant to be with. She was just really pleasant. And aside from Sarah, Arthur hadn't had many pleasant experiences in a while. So this was nice.

"So." Elena played with the stem of her wine glass. "What do you do when you're not working or looking after your niece?"

"I play sports, mostly football and I read. Although Sarah is taking up most of my time nowadays. What about you?"

"I knit," Elena smiled.

"Knit!" Arthur leaned forward. "Don't take this the wrong way, but knitting isn't something I associate with someone like you."

"Someone like me?"

Aware that he was about to dig himself into a hole, Arthur shook his head and changed the subject. "What do you knit?"

"This and that. Hats, scarves, sweaters. I could knit you a lovely Christmas sweater."

"Ah, I'm going to pass on that. But thank you. Morgana once decided she wanted to learn to knit. I was buried in scarves for months. Thank goodness her attention span lasted for slightly more than a month."

"Morgana's your sister?" Elena took a sip of the wine and smiled at him over the glass.

"Step-sister to be precise. Sarah's mother. You should know her – the first one to leave the Pendragon Holdings."

Arthur could see the interest in her eyes. "And a few years later, you left."

"By left, you mean I got kicked out," said Arthur wryly. He wasn't about to get into the details of what transpired, as pleasant as Elena was. "How about some dessert?"

"How about sharing a chocolate lava cake?"

A woman who liked chocolate. Definitely after his own heart. "Why not?"

* * *

Sarah was sound asleep on top of Merlin's prone body in front of the television which was still on. Crossing over to the sofa, Arthur picked Sarah up, noting with a frown that whatever was on the television was completely inappropriate for a baby. With a huff, he switched it off. Sarah fussed a little, curled her fists into his chest then snuggled into him. As he walked to her cot, Arthur enjoyed the weight of her in his arms and, burying his nose in her hair, the smell of baby powder. In the quiet darkness of the house, it felt like it was just him and Sarah and it was some kind of wonderful.

Tucking Sarah into her cot, Arthur put her stuffed dog – it really needed a name – next to her. He bent over and gave her a kiss, then smoothed his hand over her hair. Arthur had loved many people in his life – his parents, his various girlfriends, Morgana, maybe even Merlin – but none of them evoked the feelings Sarah did.

"Hey, you're home." Merlin appeared suddenly next to him, rubbing his eyes. "How was the date?"

"Alright. Elena is nice."

"Nice huh? That doesn't sound promising."

Arthur shrugged. "I'm not actually looking for a relationship right now. My life is messy enough."

"Being a Pendragon means your life is always a mess," yawned Merlin. "I'm going to bed."

"Did you read to her?"

"Yes, I read to her. The Book of Baths – twice. She loves poking at the animals."

"She does. It's her favourite. Thanks, Merlin."

"No problem. Sarah's a darling."

Warmth spread in his chest. "I know."

Despite being a darling, Sarah woke up in the middle of the night crying. Like most nights, Arthur wasn't asleep, just lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. By now, he was intimately familiar with the ceiling.

"Alright sweetie, what's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?" He walked up and down the small living room, bouncing her gently in his arms. "I have bad dreams all the time."

Sarah sniffled, snot and saliva all over her face.

"Well, not really bad dreams, bad thoughts. Like how I could have done more to save the local shops and their employees. Like how there must be some way to balance expanding the company and serving the needs of the town."

Arthur looked down at Sarah, who, after drooling all over his shoulder, was now fast asleep again.

"Thanks for listening," said Arthur as he rubbed her back. "Always good to know someone cares."

* * *

The headline screamed at Arthur when he sat down at the breakfast table.

**UTHER PENDRAGON TO TEAR DOWN CITY HALL FOR NEW MALL**

"Guess it's public now," sighed Arthur as he pulled out a chair and sat down. "Great."

Merlin glanced up at him. "Toast? Coffee is in the pot."

"I've lost my appetite. Sarah is still asleep?"

"Yup." Merlin swallowed his toast. "The board believes this will bring profits to an all-time high."

Arthur sighed. "Of course it will. But the town is going to lose a landmark."

"You of all people should know what money can buy. It certainly can buy the town council."

"We're going to ruin the town," said Arthur, pulling the newspaper to him. "Not that my father cares."

Merlin stood. "He doesn't. He's got plans for the town next door."

"I know that. What do I do?"

"You know," said Merlin. "You should talk to Gwen."

"Gwen?" Arthur sat up. "You said she was an architect."

"She's also involved in the local protest group."

"Ah."

Merlin stopped at the kitchen door. "Ah?"

"Explains why she hates me."

That made Merlin laugh. "Hate you? Gwen's lovely. She doesn't hate anyone, except your father. I work for your father and she's my best friend."

"Your best friend? What about me?"

"You're my other best friend." Merlin shook his head and walked out of the kitchen.

"The word 'best' suggests one person only!"

"Goodbye Arthur. Clean up the kitchen."

* * *

AN: Thank you again for the comments! Sorry this is a little short but I think the next chapter might make up for it. Or not. Ha. Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

"End of the week? You'll be back on Friday?"

Morgana gave Arthur an amused look. "No, Arthur. You can't have Sarah. Although I'm tickled at how she's wrapped you around her little finger."

Arthur caught Sarah's hands as she attempted to pat the screen. With a frown at how damp her hands were, he grabbed a cloth and wiped her off. "As long as you don't stop me from seeing her. She stood briefly on her own yesterday." Arthur looked down at her. "She's so smart. Aren't you, Sarah? Soon you'll be walking all on your own."

On the screen, Morgana laughed. "Anyway, as I said, I'll be back Friday, the weekend the latest. Things have finally settled down here and Mithian can handle everything else. What's happening with the company?"

"Dad has gone public about his decision to buy and demolish the city hall."

Morgana let out a whistle. "Go big or go home huh? He's going to incur everyone's wrath. I'm amazed the authorities even approved his plans."

"Money buys a lot." Beside him, Sarah started to babble, pushing against the table to stand. When Arthur stopped her, she started to whine and kicked at the table. "Behave yourself."

"Does she even understand you?" Morgana asked.

"The Internet says she does." Although that was debatable since Sarah was now babbling even louder and pushing at his arms. Lifting her up, he bounced her on his lap. She squealed with joy.

"You know, if you can't find anyone brave enough to hire you, you can be Sarah's babysitter."

Arthur scowled. "Firstly, I'd look after Sarah for free anytime. And, secondly, I am not about to be employed by you."

"Too much pride will get you nowhere," said Morgana lightly.

"Don't worry about me. I'll find a job soon enough - once I actually start looking."

"Ma-ma."

Morgana beamed. "Did you hear that? She called me. You clever girl."

"You said she couldn't understand me earlier. Wouldn't that mean these are just random syllables?"

"You're just jealous she's not saying Arthur. Say it again, sweetie. Say mama."

Instead Sarah kicked his thigh.

* * *

Arthur opened the pizza box and grabbed a slice before shoving it towards his ex-best friend.

"Vegetarian, specially for you and your fancy taste buds."

Merlin grinned, then took a seat at the table. "Thank you. Work was awful."

"What do you expect? The town is up in arms."

"I don't blame them," said Merlin around a mouthful of pizza. "The city hall is an amazing piece of architecture. Lots of history too."

"I know that," muttered Arthur. "You remember what got me kicked out of the company."

"You withholding your vote at the board meeting over this issue? That was just the last straw. I think you speaking to that reporter over your concerns about the direction of the company was the real cause."

Arthur shrugged and took another slice.

"Anyway," said Merlin. "You know how I've been a more than generous friend to you?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes.

"I don't charge you rent -"

"What do you want Merlin?" asked Arthur with a sigh. He couldn't deny that Merlin had been more than generous and supportive.

"The thing is, Gwen had an accident."

So that was why Arthur hadn't seen Gwen recently, not that he kept track of when he saw her. "What happened? Does she need money?"

Merlin shook his head. "Something fell on her at her worksite, broke her toe. I was actually hoping you'd spend some time with her, keep her company."

Arthur stared at Merlin. He was joking. He had to be joking. Because Gwen may have doubled the number of things in the like side of the list, there was still only two entries - pie and car. On the other hand, the dislike list was only getting longer, even if he struck off the synonyms.

"Your enthusiasm is infectious," said Merlin dryly.

"Why would Gwen want my company? She's broke her toe not her brain."

"I told you Gwen doesn't hate people. She doesn't hate you."

"Whatever you say, Merlin. I assure you that me keeping her company is not going to bring her mood up, unless you are of course planning to use me to motivate her to recover faster."

"What? Get better soon or I'll sic Arthur on you?" Merlin laughed. "Now that's something I didn't think of. The thing is, Gwen has been ordered to stay off her feet and as you can imagine, that's hard to do when you're living alone."

Pressing his lips together, Arthur regarded Merlin for a while. He puffed out a breath. "So you want me to go over and wait on her."

"I want you to go over and be a friend." When Arthur didn't answer immediately, Merlin sighed. "For me. She did make you pie and bring you the child seat."

That was true. And Arthur wasn't usually one who didn't return favours.

"Alright. But don't expect us to become friends."

Taking a large bite out of the last piece of pizza, Merlin nodded and swallowed. "There goes my dreams of a threesome."

Arthur tossed a slice of onion at him, grinning when it hit Merlin on the nose. "I'm going to see if Sarah is alright."

* * *

Sarah in one arm, a bunch of flowers in the other, Arthur stood awkwardly on Gwen's doorstep. The flowers were an impulsive gesture, and now he was regretting it. He didn't want to give Gwen the wrong impression. There were too many roses in the bouquet. But at the same time, it would be such a waste to dump it.

Tired of Arthur's indecision, Sarah started to whine, the kind of whine Arthur knew would turn into a loud cries in a blink of an eye. Quickly, he knocked on the door.

"Coming!"

There was sounds of things being knocked, cursing and finally, the door opened.

"Arthur!" The shock on her face faded as she focused on Sarah. "And the darling Sarah. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I hope you like flowers," he said, thrusting the bouquet at her. "Merlin told me that you were injured."

Gwen took the flowers from him and buried her face in them. Sarah leaned over and grabbed a flower, making Gwen laugh. Her laugh faded and Gwen asked him archly, "And you decided to visit out of the kindness of your heart?"

"Merlin said you might want some company."

"Well, Sarah would be lovely company. Guess you two are a package deal." She stepped inside and gestured for him to enter.

Merlin's house was a mishmash of furniture he seemed to have picked up at random. Gwen's, on the other hand, was perfectly coordinated in shades of green and brown. It was cozy and welcoming, the complete opposite of his own home.

"You should sit down," said Arthur, turning to Gwen who had hobbled along behind him. "Merlin says you're not supposed to be walking around."

"I'm fine. The doctor was just being overprotective." Still she eased herself into an armchair, her face clearly showing the relief she felt now that she was off her feet. "Can I carry Sarah?"

Sarah was pleased to be carried by Gwen, gurgling as she tugged at Gwen's hair. Arthur definitely didn't find the picture of them heartwarming.

"Where are your vases? I'll put the flowers in water."

"The kitchen. Above the sink." Gwen said even as her attention was focused on Sarah. "Help yourself to a drink."

When he returned, Gwen was playing peek-a-boo with a giggling Sarah. He placed the vase on her dining table and took a seat on her sofa. Gwen continued to fuss over Sarah who soaked in the attention.

"So how did you break your toe?"

Gwen glanced up at him. "I was at the worksite, checking on the plans when a loose brick fell on my foot."

"Which worksite are you working on?" If she was a member of the local protest group like Merlin said, she wouldn't be working on any of his father's sites. There weren't many construction projects his father hadn't a part in.

"The new office building on the corner of high street. I'm sure you've seen it."

He had and he'd been impressed by the proposed design. In fact, he'd liked a lot of what she'd done, he realized. Who knew that prickly Gwen had such talent? A new appreciation for her developed in Arthur and mentally, he put one more word down in the like column. "You're part of Thompson Architect. I'm impressed."

"I am Thompson Architect. It's just me and a small group of people, now that my dad is no longer around," said Gwen. "It's a small company."

"You may be a small company, but you do good work."

Surprise coloured her eyes. "You know what I've done?"

"I've seen them around. The school is my favourite."

Unlike the smiles she'd given him before, this one was genuine and bright. "The school is my favourite too. I'm especially proud of how environmentally friendly I've managed to make it."

"I read the article in the Camelot Times on it. I guess I should have known that the Guinevere quoted in it was you."

At that moment, Sarah whined and reached for Arthur. Gwen bounced her a little but that only made Sarah start to cry. "Here, I think she wants you back."

"Ah, she's hungry. If you don't mind, I'll use your kitchen to heat up her food?" Arthur took Sarah who continued to fuss and stood up.

"Of course," said Gwen. "I should get lunch ready too."

Arthur immediately put his hand out and stopped her from getting up. "Hey, no. I promised Merlin I wouldn't let you walk around."

Skepticism laced her voice. "You're going to cook me lunch?"

"Of course not," said Arthur as he walked towards the kitchen. "I'm going to call for some takeout. What do you like?"

For a moment, Arthur thought Gwen was going to be difficult about it but then she called out, "Indian."

"Indian it is then."

* * *

Sarah went to sleep soon after she finished lunch. Arthur settled her on the sofa just as lunch was delivered. As he laid out the table, he could feel Gwen watching him.

He turned. "Can you make it to the table?"

"I'm injured, not dead." As she answered him, she stood and hopped to the table. Amused, Arthur pulled out a chair for her. "Thank you."

Arthur shared stories of Sarah as they ate the naan and curries. Gwen was a good listener and Arthur found himself talking a lot about Sarah, the drama over her conception and birth and how he'd ended up looking after her for two weeks.

"If there's one good thing I can say about you, it's that you love Sarah."

"What about my gorgeous car? I think that's another point in my favour."

Gwen rolled her eyes but smiled. "It's a junk heap, just waiting to fall apart."

"You say that but that's because you've not sat in it."

"It's a death trap."

Arthur laughed. "One day, I'll take you for a spin and you'll swallow your words. I bet you."

"You're on. I feel like I have to drive it myself to truly experience your car."

"Good try but no one drives it but me."

Then Arthur realized he was smiling and Gwen was smiling. And the usual feeling of annoyance he had in her presence wasn't there anymore. He thought about how he'd told Merlin that there was no way he and Gwen would be friends and he thought that perhaps he'd been wrong.

"Why are you looking weirdly at me?"

Arthur blinked then shook his head. "I had the weird thought that maybe we could be friends."

Her eyebrows shot up and her smile faded. "You realize that you're Uther Pendragon's son and I am a member of the group that protests his projects."

"We're like Romeo and Juliet, without romance."

This time, it was her turn to look weirdly at him. "That is the strangest thing I've ever heard."

The rest of lunch went by fairly quickly and Arthur found himself quite enjoying Gwen's company. Perhaps keeping her company for the next few days wouldn't be the torture he had imagined that it would be.

* * *

AN: The next chapter might take a while longer so I hope this one was satisfactory. But there'll be more Arthur/Gwen interactions coming up!


	6. Chapter 6

AN: So I lied. I didn't mean to but I really wanted to spend time on pirates instead but got stuck and ended up writing this one instead. Oops. Also disclaimer: I don't work in architecture, real estate development or anything so everything is really just basic google research and fairy dust. Basically, it's probably all sorts of inaccurate. Sorry. Hopefully that doesn't put you off. :/

* * *

Arthur sat on the floor, Sarah between his stretched out legs playing with some colourful blocks, as Merlin and Gwen lounged on the sofa, chatting about some movie they'd watched recently. Sarah hit the blocks together with great glee, occasionally offering one saliva covered block to him.

"Hey Arthur, when Morgana comes back, want to watch that latest blockbuster with us?"

"Hmm?" Arthur looked up at them. "You mean the latest adaptation of a fairy tale? I'll pass. When is this trend going to end?"

"Arthur is a cynic," said Merlin with a laugh. "Doesn't believe in happily ever after."

Gwen glanced up at Arthur, a smile dancing in her eyes. "Really? He seems like a soft touch to me."

"Hey. I'll have you know, not one month ago, I was the VP of property management. I am a ruthless, corporate man."

Merlin coughed but Gwen didn't even attempt to be subtle. She laughed. Sarah threw a block at his head, then leaned towards Arthur, whining. At the same time, Arthur glared at Merlin and Gwen as he picked Sarah up. She continued to fuss, then pushed her fist into her mouth.

"She's teething?" Gwen asked.

"Yup," said Arthur as he dug out her teething ring, then wiped her hand and face. "There's drool everywhere and she fusses all the time. Poor baby. It'll be over soon. Then you can eat fun stuff like French fries."

"Ruthless corporate type huh?"

Arthur scowled at her, darkening the word mocking on his virtual list. It wasn't the first time he'd darkened the word. Gwen never missed a chance to tease him and Merlin was the worst enabler. He scowled at her again for good measure.

As usual, she just laughed again. Then leaned over and touched his shoulder. "It's late. You three should make your way home. Thanks for the lovely company."

Merlin stood and stretched. "You're right. I have a long day tomorrow. I probably won't be able to drop by for dinner."

"I'm going into the office too," said Gwen.

"You're supposed to be resting your foot," said Arthur. He passed Sarah to Gwen as he packed up the multitude of toys she had. "And you've been working from home."

"An important client meeting. Jobs are hard to come by you know," Gwen said blandly. "Since your father has more or less taken over the town."

"If you didn't participate in the protest group," Arthur left the rest of the sentence unsaid.

Gwen merely raised her eyebrows and said nothing. The last discussion of his father between the two of them hadn't ended well and Arthur had left her home angry.

"How are you getting to work?" asked Merlin. "Arthur can drive you in."

Arthur stood and took Sarah back. "What about Sarah? My car is a two seater."

"I told you it was impractical," said Merlin.

"I'm a swinging bachelor! I don't need a practical car."

"Or a working one, apparently. It's fine," said Gwen. "I'll call a taxi."

"Don't be silly. I can drive your car. Sarah would love a trip into the city, wouldn't you darling?" Sarah looked at him wide-eyed, then smiled and babbled at him. "See? She's excited already."

"Then it's settled," said Merlin happily, waving off Gwen's concerns. "Arthur will drive you to work."

Sarah yawned, then her head dropped onto Arthur's shoulder. Walking over to Gwen, Merlin brushed a kiss on her cheek. Arthur opened the door.

"Thanks for everything."

Arthur waved Sarah's hand.

"Bye Sarah!"

* * *

Gwen's car was practical. It was also bright yellow. Arthur strapped an unhappy Sarah into the car, giving her the stuffed dog in hopes of it calming her down before he knocked on Gwen's door. He'd been so used to seeing Gwen in casual shorts and t-shirt that seeing her all dressed up for work was a bit of a surprise.

"You look nice."

"I'm not sure how to take your compliment when you sound so shocked." She hobbled out of the door, before shutting it behind her. Reaching out a hand, Arthur helped her down the steps. Slowly, they made their way to her car.

"All good?" Arthur asked as he started the engine.

"Let's go."

"How long do you expect the meeting to last?"

Sarah started to cry. Gwen twisted around and waved at her but all that achieved was Sarah crying even louder.

Arthur sighed. "If you look in the bag at your feet, her teething ring should be there. It might keep her quiet for a while. She's in a bad mood today."

"I'm so sorry that you had to drive me today," said Gwen after she passed Sarah the teething ring. Sarah calmed down a little. "Sarah would probably have been happier at home."

"I promised Merlin. He'd be worrying his head off if you went into the city alone."

Gwen smiled. "He's wonderful."

The car slid to a stop at the junction and Arthur took the chance to look over at Gwen. There was something in her tone. Did she like Merlin more than just a friend?

"Merlin is wonderful. I mean, he's kind, caring, smart, owns his own house."

"The light is green," said Gwen. "And why are you promoting Merlin to me?"

"I'm just stating facts. He would make a brilliant husband."

"Are you trying to marry me off to Merlin?" Gwen asked, a mix of amusement and horror in her voice.

So maybe he'd read her wrong.

"Well –"

"Is this your new career plan? Matchmaking?" Now, she was blatantly laughing at him. The word mocking became even darker.

"I think the two of you make a nice pair."

He felt her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for the thought but I can find my own life partner. What about you? Merlin said you were seeing someone – Elaine?"

"Elena. We just went out for dinner twice."

"And?"

Arthur shrugged. He and Elena had exchanged a few texts since their last dinner but between Gwen and Sarah, they hadn't had time to meet up again. And, in all honestly, Arthur hadn't thought about her that much.

"And she's nice."

Gwen hummed in response. "Well, that's a good start."

"Right," said Arthur, wanting to change the subject. "So tell me about your client."

When she didn't answer immediately, he glanced over, then repeated his question.

"You don't think I'm going to tell you, do you?"

"Why – oh. You think I'm going to run off and tell my father. Have you not read the millions of words written about our falling out?"

"He is still your father," said Gwen. "I've no idea how much loyalty you still feel towards him."

Arthur flexed his fingers on the wheel and stared ahead. It wasn't as if Gwen was completely wrong – he did feel a lot of loyalty towards his father. He owed his father a lot. Yet lots of things in the way his father ran the company had irked him but everything had come to a head with the community center.

"I haven't spoken to him since he sacked me."

He could feel her eyes on him. "So that part is true. That must have hurt."

"I saw it coming actually. I'm sure you read that interview I did with the Albion Post. You know, the one in which I suggested that my father was taking the company in a direction I didn't agree with? He was so mad – went off on me about keeping my unhappiness inside the family and not airing our dirty laundry."

"Why did you?"

Arthur looked at her. "Because he wasn't listening to me. Because I was impulsive. Because I thought he was wrong. Because I thought that would force his hand. It did, I guess. When I disagreed with his plans for the city hall, he sacked me."

Gwen's office building, a nondescript red brick building that looked no different from the one next to it, loomed in front of him. Arthur didn't know why he'd said so much to Gwen in the first place. Not that it wasn't public knowledge but aside from Merlin, he hadn't talked about it with anyone. Not even Morgana. He pulled up next to the curb and jumped out, walking over to the other side to help Gwen out.

"Hey," she said and the sympathy in her eyes reminded Arthur why he never told anyone about his family. "If you were interested in my opinion of you, which I doubt, I think you did a brave thing."

Arthur couldn't help the smile that spread on his face. "You don't think I'm selfish and heartless anymore?"

She punched his shoulder lightly. "I need more evidence before I reassess my judgement of you."

Arthur thought of putting down violent on his list, then decided against it. It was at this point that Sarah realized no one was in the car and she screamed her head off.

"I'll give you a call when I'm done," said Gwen as she hobbled into the building.

* * *

It was lovely day. The sky was clear and a cool breeze mitigated the heat of the sun that hung low in the sky. Arthur felt quite pleased with his decision to have a sandwich at the park for lunch. Sarah sat in her stroller waving to the ducks that gathered around them, as Arthur tossed some of his bread on the ground. After feeding Sarah, she was in a much better mood and all the activity in the park distracted her from her sore gums.

Arthur leaned back against the bench and opened the newspaper he'd picked up, turning to the article on his father and city hall. Despite the large, dramatic headlines, his father hadn't actually won the bid to develop the land yet, as Merlin had clarified earlier. Still, Arthur understood the newspaper's decision to frame the story this way. There was little to suggest that his father wouldn't win the bid. Scanning the article, Arthur noted that the only other company competing for the land was from Mercia which already put it at an disadvantage. The last paragraph mentioned that the local protest group was about to demonstrate outside the city hall over the weekend, demanding that Pendragon Holdings promise not to demolish the building. It was going to be a waste of time. His father had said many times that this was the most cost effective way to work.

Sarah started fussing again, dragging his thoughts back to her and Arthur turned the stroller around to face him.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong? Do you need a diaper change?"

In response, Sarah kicked her legs and squealed. Arthur leaned in to check her diaper. Nope, it wasn't a diaper change she needed. Perhaps she was bored with the ducks. The ducks weren't doing anything much anyway aside from walking around. They were pretty boring.

"Come on then, let's go for a walk." Arthur packed away the newspaper, and stood.

They walked for a short while, Arthur pointing out various things to Sarah who gurgled at everything Arthur said, when Gwen called.

"How did the meeting go?" Arthur asked as he walked up to Gwen.

"Pretty good. Don't suppose you want some coffee? Or dessert?" Gwen bent over the stroller and tickled Sarah who smiled and blew bubbles at her.

Gwen looked so pleased with herself that Arthur couldn't find it in him to refuse her. "Sure. Not like I have anything to do. There's a nice place around the corner. Their coffees are quite good."

"Alright," said Gwen.

Arthur glanced at her hobbling next to him. "All this walking is probably no good for your toe."

"I'll soak it when I get home."

The café was bustling with people but they managed to fine a seat after a few minutes. All the bustle caught Sarah's attention and she waved happily at anyone who would pay her attention. Even as Arthur took Sarah out of the stroller to put her in the high chair, he noticed Gwen wincing as she sat down.

"What do you want to drink?"

"An iced mocha will be good. Whipped cream please." She smiled wanly up at him.

"No problem."

When he returned with their drinks and a cheesecake, Gwen was playing with Sarah. He slid the tray onto the table and smiled when Gwen thanked him. Eventually Sarah got tired of Gwen and her attention drifted. Grabbing a paper cup Arthur had procured for her, she chewed on it, simultaneously babbling.

"So what are we celebrating? The client has signed on? You have a new building to design?"

Her smile widened and her eyes sparkled. "Something like that. You know the old houses along Ealdor Street?"

"The ones that have been abandoned forever?"

"Those. Well, they aren't quite in the city center so your father hasn't been that interested in them. A small local firm managed to buy them and I've been hired to work on them."

"That's brilliant!" Arthur raised his iced coffee in salute. "I'm sure you'll do a great job."

"Do you know what the best part is? We're not tearing down the houses. We're going to try and restore and modernise them."

"You restore houses?" He'd seen the school and the small row of homes Gwen had designed but neither of those were restoration projects. An idea started to grow.

Leaning forward, crossing her arms on the table, Gwen nodded eagerly. "When I first got into architecture, that's what I wanted to do. Restore old buildings. Keep the history, the character but make them functional as well. I thought being in Camelot with all her history would be a grand place to practice. I wanted to change the direction of my father's firm. But your father – let's just say he made things difficult."

A million thoughts were going through his head. It'd been a while since he'd been involved in business but Gwen's words had triggered something in him and the adrenaline rush of working on a complex problem surged through him.

"We should go into business together and bid on the city hall project."


	7. Chapter 7

Arthur liked to think of himself as a fair person and because he was such a fair person, he penned down on his very fair list the word sensible. Because Gwen was sensible. She also probably didn't trust him but Arthur didn't want to dwell on that.

"What time is Morgana coming back?" Merlin asked as he gathered up the last of Sarah's toys. "Do you think she knows?"

Sarah was sitting on the floor chewing happily on a coloured block.

Arthur shrugged. "Who knows what goes on in a baby's brain? Every page on the internet tells me something different. Morgana is going to be home in a couple of hours so we probably should hurry."

"Alright. Come on. Most of Sarah's things are in the boot already." Merlin pulled the door open.

Arthur picked Sarah up. "Say bye-bye to Merlin's house, sweetie."

The words bye-bye made Sarah waved her arms wildly and the block fell from her hands. Quickly, Arthur picked it up, holding it away from Sarah when she reached for it. That made her whine and Arthur could hear the impending cry.

Quickly, Arthur walked to Merlin's car and popped her into the car seat. Just at that moment, he saw Gwen coming out of her house. Smiling he waved at her, then waited as she walked gingerly towards the car. Her toe was healing but Arthur frowned anyway. She shouldn't be walking on it. What was wrong with waving from her door? Foolish, he scratched on his list.

"Is Sarah going home?" Gwen stuffed her hands in her sweatpants and bent down to peer into the car. Recognising her, Sarah started to babble happily. "Aww, you must miss your mummy so much. And I bet your mummy misses you. Hey Merlin!"

Merlin waved from the front.

"Yeah. I can't believe that it's already been a week and a half." Arthur leaned on the car next to her. Her hair was all messy again and the t-shirt she wore looked like it'd seen better day 10 years ago.

Straightening up, Gwen smiled at him. "I'm going to miss seeing her around. And I see your car isn't up to this again."

"One day, you'll regret making fun of my car."

Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Let me know when that day comes. I might miss it otherwise."

"Don't worry," said Arthur as he slid into the front seat. "I'll be there to remind you."

Her laughter followed him as Merlin drove off.

* * *

They'd barely finished unpacking all of Sarah's things when Morgana returned. Barely casting them a glance, she dropped her bags to the ground and rushed to where Sarah was and picked her up, cuddling her close.

"Sarah! Oh I've missed you so much. Did you miss me?" Sarah fisted Morgana's hair and babbled happily, loving the attention. "I know. I promise you I won't leave you for so long again."

Arthur cleared his throat.

"Arthur. Merlin. Thank you for looking after Sarah." Morgana tossed her hair, the way she always did – Arthur wondered why she couldn't be sensible like Gwen and tie it up – then smiled at them. "I hope she wasn't too much trouble."

"Nah," said Merlin. "She's a darling. Didn't even cry at night."

Morgana's eyes widened in surprise. "She's getting better at sleeping through the night now?"

"She is but she still wakes some nights. Merlin just sleeps far too deeply to realize."

Merlin shrugged. "That's also true. But I'll like to point out that unlike someone here, I have a full time job."

"Speaking of jobs." Morgana sat on the sofa and bounced Sarah a little on her lap. "You said you had some news, Arthur?"

This time it was Merlin's turn to look surprised. "You found a job? And you didn't tell me?"

"No. I just thought I'd tell you two together." Arthur sat down on the other end of the sofa while Merlin continued to stand. Now, he'd find out whether he was nuts, as Gwen said, or if, as he thought, he was being brave. "So, I've decided to use my savings to bid against Dad for the city hall."

The silence that followed didn't fill Arthur with confidence. Only Sarah looked at him and smiled toothlessly at him, waving her arms.

"Look, you can stay at my place for as long as you want," said Merlin. "You don't have to do anything foolish."

Morgana simply asked why, her only emotion shown when she lifted an eyebrow in that manner that always made Arthur feel a little silly.

He sucked in a breath. "I told Dad that we shouldn't have torn down the community center. He wanted to build apartments and I said that with a good architect, we could find a way to do it without tearing the whole thing down."

Merlin made a noise and Arthur glared at him.

"Clearly Dad didn't agree with you," said Morgana dryly. "Because that whole area is a construction site now."

"Which, if you had been paying attention to my life, you would also know that's the conflict that started our whole falling out."

"And ended with you bumming in my house. What? I'm just saying." Merlin smirked as Arthur rolled his eyes. "I told you speaking to the newspaper was a bad idea. Bad, being an understatement."

Arthur sighed. "Anyway, my Dad is adamant that we cannot make a profit from restoring such buildings."

"Dad is adamant that he can't make a hefty profit from restoration," corrected Morgana mildly, as she played peek-a-boo with Sarah.

Ignoring her, Arthur continued. "And he called me a fool, so I want to show him that we can make a profit and yet not sell out the town that supports us."

"And Gwen is supportive of this plan?" asked Merlin, disbelief written all over his face. "Because I know she's an architect and she's always been interested in restoration -"

Morgana suddenly looked very interested in the conversation, stopping her game and staring at Arthur. "Gwen? Do I know this Gwen?"

"Well, she tentatively agreed - sort of. The thing is, when I asked her, I had no plan -"

"Oh no. I am not quitting my job with your father to work against him."

"You didn't even think about it!" huffed Arthur. "What do you think Morgana?"

On her lap, Sarah was squirming and reaching towards Arthur. Morgana handed her to Arthur, then chewed on her lip. "You plan to form a scrappy little group and take on your father."

"Basically." Arthur nuzzled Sarah, who was standing on his thighs and pulling at his hair.

"It's a ridiculous plan," said Merlin. "If anyone is interested in my opinion. And I'm not going to quit my job to help you write the proposal."

"I like it," said Morgana.

"Don't encourage him, Morgana." Merlin turned to look at Arthur. "You have more money than sense."

But Morgana's approval had buoyed Arthur's confidence. "You can write the proposal for the bid, I'll manage and Gwen can do the designs."

"You're nuts. Completely nuts. Being out of work has warped your mind."

Arthur was no longer listening. Gwen hadn't rejected him outright, instead peppered him with a bunch of questions. All he needed was to draw up a better plan, allay Gwen's misgivings and he'll have an architect. He grinned at Merlin, who sighed and shook his head again.

* * *

"Dad." A massive mahogany table, polished to within an inch of its life, separated him from his father.

Uther looked dispassionately up at him, tapping the pen in his hand on the table. "Have you come to apologize?"

"I wasn't wrong. Look at the unhappiness your bid has caused."

"Camelot forgets that it is my investment in their town that they are able to spend their time whinging about me. And you forget it is me you owe your career to." Uther slid his glasses on, a clear sign that he was bored with the conversation. "If you're not here to grovel, then the door is behind you."

"Dad. We don't have to tear down the city hall. It has history and the architecture is beautiful. We could work around the building, keep the façade -"

"Let's make a few things clear, Arthur. Firstly, there is no 'we'. You no longer work here. I will not have my employees, especially one who is my son, oppose me publicly twice. Secondly, I am a forgiving man and if you want your job back, an apology will suffice. Lastly, restoring the city hall will push up the cost of building the mall."

"I'm sorry then," said Arthur, his shoes dug into the plush carpet as he turned to leave. At the door, he paused. "We should have dinner - as family."

When Uther didn't reply immediately, Arthur's heart sank and he pulled open the door.

"You can make an appointment with Catherine," said Uther coolly.

Catherine looked at him as he left Uther's office, her gaze warm and concerned. "He misses you and Morgana," she said as he approached her desk.

"Funny how he doesn't show it. He did agree to dinner, so can we schedule a date?" Arthur leaned against the desk and ran his fingers through his hair.

"With Morgana?"

"And Sarah," said Arthur. "It's about time he spends some time with his granddaughter."

"I'll make the arrangements and let you know."

Arthur smiled. "Thank you, Catherine."

* * *

Gwen had her hair tied up in her usual messy ponytail when she opened the door. There was a streak of white powder across her cheek and a little bit on her nose. She looked cute and it made him smile.

"Hello."

"Hello. Did Merlin leave you without food again?" she asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him.

Arthur reached out a hand and wiped the bit off her nose, laughing when she scowled. "Flour. Are you baking pie?"

"Are you inviting yourself for dinner?"

"I have cheesecake," he grinned, dangling the box he'd picked up from a café in front of her. "We can do a trade."

She planted her hip against the door frame and crossed her arms. "Now, I am making pie from scratch with my hands. Your cheesecake looks store bought. Hardly an equal trade. Plus, you don't have Sarah."

"Are you saying you only enjoyed my company because Sarah was around?"

"I can't help it that you're not as charismatic as a baby." She pushed herself from the door frame and stepped into her house, gesturing for him to enter. "You're lucky I made extra pie. Does Merlin have dinner?"

"He is working late again," said Arthur as he walked in. "But if you have extra, I could bring one back for him."

"These are the sort of times you used to keep?"

"Yup. My Dad believes in getting the most out of his workers. Shall I pop the cheesecake into the fridge?"

Gwen nodded.

Arthur looked around the kitchen. It was, surprisingly, in a mess.

"Don't judge." She went back to the counter and continued to work on the dough.

"Clearly, good things come from messes," he said, grinning.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Are you just going to stand there or help?"

"I'll help." Stepping forward, Arthur picked up a bit of flour and tossed it at her. Much to his satisfaction, she squealed then tossed a handful of flour back at him.

"You didn't!"

Flour flew at him again but he ducked behind the counter, laughing. "I surrender!"

"Truce?" Gwen asked from opposite the counter.

"Truce." Then he stood and tossed more flour at her.

* * *

Despite Gwen's best efforts, flour still streaked her hair. He was probably the same. Unfortunately, the kitchen was the real victim in their food fight, its floor and counter tops covered with flour. Arthur pushed his fork into the pie, allowing the delicious aroma to escape.

"Why don't you make pie for a living?" he sighed as he swallowed the first bite. "Your pies are brilliant."

"Pie making is a hobby. It's a good thing I had enough flour to finish the pies," she grumbled.

"I spoke to Dad."

Her fork stopped midway, before she put it back down on the table. "And?"

"He won't listen to me, like I told you."

"Huh."

Placing his fork on the plate, Arthur folded his arms on the table in front of him. "I'm going to do it. And I think we would be able to put up a great bid together."

"And the bid and all its related costs will be funded by you?" Gwen leaned back and regarded him carefully.

He nodded. "Everything. All I need from you are designs."

She pursed her lips. "Taking on your father will be dangerous."

"You do that as part of the protest group," Arthur pointed out.

"Yes, but I'm not his son." Then she smiled slightly. "I admit, this is an exciting thought but we don't have a lot of time and I do have another project."

"That's why I persuaded Merlin to help us. He's a whiz at business plans." Arthur crossed his fingers under the table. But he knew that Merlin felt the same way about his father's actions and all he needed was a little more convincing.

Gwen stared at him, her brown eyes reflecting the churning thoughts in her head.

"We'll be good together," said Arthur reaching over to touch her hand, slightly taken aback at the shot of awareness touching her skin created.

A smile pulled at her lips. "I'm going to regret this and I really shouldn't trust you, but fine. We'll take on your father."


	8. Chapter 8

Arthur parked his car, slipped his sunglasses on then walked slowly to the café, enjoying the fine weather Camelot was blessed with this week. He'd never eaten at this café but Elena had assured him that it was good. As he stood outside of the café, waiting for Elena, he watched the people who rushed by, heads down, clearly trying to grab a bite before heading back to work. Ever since he started work, he'd been like them, working long hours under his father, day in, day out, convinced that this was the only road to happiness and success.

"Hi." Elena waved a hand in front of his face. "Deep in thought?"

Arthur smiled as he removed his sunglasses. "Hey. Shall we go in?"

Once they sat down, Elena dug into her bag and pulled out a small, blue knitted hat. "Here. I made it."

"It's lovely. But it's a bit small for me," said Arthur as he took it from Elena.

"Don't be silly. It's for Sarah."

"Thank you. She'll love it." Folding it gently, he slipped it into his bag.

"So, what's up with you? You must have been busy looking after your neighbour. For a while I thought I'd offended you in some way and that's why you kept avoiding me."

"I wasn't avoiding you. I just had my hands full with Sarah and my neighbour. You're right, she was very demanding." Arthur smiled, knowing Gwen would be amusingly annoyed by his words.

"She?"

His mind still on Gwen, Arthur nodded. "Very demanding. And she hates my car."

"Pfft. She clearly doesn't know quality when she sees it."

"Exactly. That's what I tell her but she's a stubborn one." That was a good word to add to his list. Stubborn, which Gwen totally was. He really should remove the word car from the like list because Gwen had been nothing but awful to his car.

A waiter approached them, derailing Arthur's train of thoughts. "Would you like to order?"

Quickly, Arthur scanned the menu. "Umm, fish and chips for me. How about you, Elena?"

Elena ordered some pasta and once the waiter left, she talked again. "Aside from your various babysitting duties, what have you been up to?"

"Nothing much. How about you? You know, we've been out for meals twice and I am still in the dark as to what you do." Arthur absently nodded at the waiter who'd return to give them their drinks.

"I'm a legal assistant. Although it isn't terribly interesting in a small town like Camelot. Nothing actually happens here."

"Camelot isn't that small," said Arthur. "Granted it isn't as big as Mercia but it's a nice size."

"You never feel that this place is too small for you? Too stifling?" Elena tilted her head and regarded him. "Especially with the whole town practically owned by your father?"

Arthur blinked. He'd never really thought of it that way. Sure, Pendragon Holdings was the town biggest employer and his father was pretty influential but Camelot was more than his father's. It belonged to everyone who lived in Camelot, including Sarah, Merlin and Gwen.

"Arthur?"

"No. I've never felt particularly trapped here in Camelot," he said. "I love Camelot. I love the small local library with Geoffrey the librarian who's almost always asleep. I love the parks we have, with the ducks and that one aggressive swan."

Elena smiled and shook her head. "I would never have thought you were such a sentimental soul."

"I guess I am," Arthur said almost wonderingly. He did love Camelot and he wasn't about to let his father destroy the town he built.

The waiter quietly approached and placed their dishes on the table. For the rest of the lunch, they chatted easily about television shows and babies. Then as Elena's lunch hour winded down, Arthur walked her across the street back to her office.

"I had a lovely lunch," said Elena.

"So did I."

Then Elena took a step forward and pressed a kiss just beside his lips. Partly in surprise and partly instinctively, Arthur shifted so their lips met. It was over quickly and Elena took a step back, a flush on her cheeks.

"Call me?" she asked.

"Sure," said Arthur and before he could work out any of his confusion, Elena had turned away and disappeared into the crowd going into the building.

* * *

"She likes you, obviously," said Gwen matter-of-factly as she laid out a bunch of blueprints. "I mean she kissed you. I promise you, women usually only kiss people they like."

They were in Gwen's home office and waiting for Merlin. Her home office was more evidence that her living room was all a farce. It was a mess of papers and pencils and all sort of the architecture-y things. He had no clue how she even worked in this room. He also wondered which side of the list messy should be put.

Arthur rubbed the back of his neck and looked around for somewhere that he might sit. "She might have been going for the cheek."

"Do you like her?" Gwen pushed some stuff off a stool and passed it to him. "Here."

"She's nice."

"You said that the last time. Do you not know any other adjectives?"

The stool wobbled but seemed strong enough to take his weight. Gingerly, he sat down. "I know a lot of other adjectives. In fact, I have –" Then he stopped. Telling her about his list would probably make her think he was some sort of nutter.

"You have?"

"A dictionary," he muttered the first thing that popped into his head.

"Of course you do. You should read it more often," laughed Gwen as she ruffled his hair (he scowled at her), before sitting on her plush swivel chair. "Come closer. I want you to see the plans I got from the library."

"Original city hall plans?" Arthur asked.

"Yup," she switched on the desk light and leaned over the blueprints. "Now, the plan is to make the city hall into a mall right?"

"That is the plan."

"So basically, we can keep the front façade of the city hall and that lovely balcony it has. We will have to knock down the back or there will not be enough space for the shops – you need to work out what kind of shop space we are looking at –"

The doorbell rang and interrupted Gwen. Arthur got off the stool. "I'll get it. Merlin should listen to this anyway."

Merlin started grousing the moment he stepped into Gwen's house. "I cannot believe I am doing this."

"It's for a good cause."

"A good cause. I can't live off good causes, you know." Merlin hung his coat up. "Gave my two weeks' notice today. Your dad will find out soon enough."

"Possibly," said Arthur. "What did you put as your reason for leaving?"

"Other job opportunities. That's an exaggeration of course, since you're paying me peanuts to do this job. Do you think that using your mother's trust fund to do this is the best idea?"

"Hey Merlin. Want something to eat?" Gwen looked up from the blueprints as the two of them entered the room.

"I'm good. Shall we get started on this ridiculous project?"

For all his grumblings, Merlin quickly got sucked into the discussion. Gwen had several ideas of how the city hall could be restored and as she scribbled various designs on her sketch pad, Merlin did his own scribbling of numbers, working out the costing of the project. And time sped past because when Arthur glanced up at the clock on Gwen's wall, it was well past midnight.

"Damn, I still have to be at work tomorrow," said Merlin when Arthur mentioned the time. "I'm going to go."

"I'll see you in a while," said Arthur.

Merlin gave a quick wave as he picked up his bag. "Nah, I'll be fast asleep."

When Arthur turned back to Gwen, she was yawning. "I should get some sleep as well. I need to meet Gwaine tomorrow to go over my plans for his homes."

"Gwaine?"

"My client." Gwen turned off the desk light, then grinned at him. "He's very sexy."

Arthur bristled, and found himself scrawling the word shallow on his list. He cancelled it immediately and felt slightly ashamed. He was supposed to be fair and so was the list.

"Probably not a good idea to indulge in an employee-employer affair," he said in what he thought was a flippant tone.

Gwen looked disbelievingly at him. "We're not working in the same office and he's my client. You're not still hung up on match-making Merlin and I, are you?"

"Of course not. I don't care who you date."

"Are you jealous I said he was sexy and didn't call you sexy?" Gwen asked, teasingly.

Arthur huffed, then walked to the door. "Good bye Gwen."

With a soft laugh, Gwen grabbed his arm. "Hey."

He stopped, then when Gwen didn't let go of his arm, he turned.

"I was just teasing. I've been told by many people you're very handsome." She dropped her hold on his arm and cupped his cheek. "You know, I didn't think we would be friends when we first met. I thought you were arrogant and rude."

"I remember," said Arthur softly. "I thought you were rude as well, if that makes you feel better."

Tension curled around them, and Arthur's eyes darted from her hand that touched his cheek to her face. He felt his heart speed up and he felt the sudden, strange urge to touch her, pull her towards him. When he looked into her eyes, Arthur had the feeling she felt the same way.

Then Gwen took a step away and that strange feeling that was building in him disappeared. Tiredness must be making him imagine things.

She shook her head, even as she smiled at him. "Go home. I need to sleep so I will look good for my sexy client."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "If your sexy client had any taste, he'd think you're gorgeous even without enough sleep."

"Stop it," said Gwen and Arthur swore that she was almost blushing. "You don't have to butter me up. I'm already in this ridiculous plan with you."

"It's a brilliant plan."

This time, Gwen shoved him, pushing him to her living room. "Go home."

* * *

"Thank you again."

Arthur smoothed his hand across sleeping Sarah's back. "No problem. I'm always happy to take her."

"I'll come by in the evening to pick her up," said Morgana. "Sadly, I don't think Sefa is going to recover by tomorrow so can you take Sarah tomorrow as well?"

"Sure. If I'm not here this evening, I'm probably next door, at Gwen's place."

Interest sparked in Morgana's eyes. "Gwen huh? This is the same Gwen who you coerced to draw up plans for your city hall project?"

"Yes and I did not coerce her at all. She's as enthusiastic about it as I am."

"I wish I didn't have to rush off to work because I really want to hear more about this Gwen."

"She's a friend. Don't get strange ideas," said Arthur even as he remembered the weird moment that passed between them three nights ago. It hadn't come up again – oh Arthur thought about it now and then – and it hadn't affected their friendship or their work at all.

Morgana gave him a disbelieving look. "If you say so. Another thing. Catherine called me yesterday – something about dinner this weekend?"

"Make an effort to go?" asked Arthur mildly. In his arms, Sarah stirred so he bounced her a little.

"Only for you. And you shouldn't try so hard. He doesn't deserve it. Bye!" Morgana pressed a quick kiss on Sarah's head, then hurried down the pathway to her car. She waved as she sped off.

Arthur looked down at Sarah who was still sleeping on his shoulder. "It's you and I again, sweetie."

* * *

AN: Sorry for the short, plotless update! Thank you again for all the comments. I love reading them.


	9. Chapter 9

The three of them settled into an easy rhythm over the next one week, meeting in the evenings after Merlin and Gwen finished work in Gwen's home office and working on their proposal. For now, aside from Morgana, no one had a clue that they were even planning to put in a competing bid, which was good.

Merlin had left early again after another late night planning session at Gwen's. Takeout boxes were strewn on whatever empty table space there was and Arthur thought, from his vantage point from the floor where he was lying and working on the third draft of their proposal, inserting the numbers Merlin had worked out, there might even be takeout boxes from yesterday.

"You're quite messy, aren't you?" Arthur asked.

Her head still bent over the plans she was drawing, she sighed. "And your point is?"

"I was just thinking out loud. I mean, visitors probably think that you are very house proud if all they see is that pretty living room you have."

"I am house proud. Do you think that we should try and save the main stairs?" She chewed on her pencil, still focused on her drawings. "It's really beautiful and a fine example of architectural style of its time. But it also occupies a lot of space that could possibly be used as retail space." Gwen swiveled and looked down at him.

The light from the desk lamp at her back made her look like an angel, a somewhat frazzled looking one with a pencil stuck between her teeth. She would be St Gwen, the angel of messiness. Or perhaps the angel of pie. Arthur smiled.

"What's so funny?"

Rolling to his side and resting on his elbow, Arthur widened his smile, knowing it would only ruffle her feathers even more. "Nothing."

Gwen tossed an eraser at him.

"I'm spending the day with Sarah tomorrow."

"Before your big family dinner?"

"Mmm. Want to join us?"

Gwen swiveled back to her drawings. "For your dinner? Why would I subject myself to that?"

Arthur tossed the eraser back at her. "Not the dinner. Sarah."

"Oh. I'd love to. I really miss her, but I have an appointment with Gwaine."

"Sexy Gwaine?"

In the light, Arthur could swear she blushed. "It's just a business meeting."

"On a Saturday?"

"Don't pretend you've never worked on a weekend before."

Arthur flopped onto the floor, this time facing the ceiling. "Do you like Gwaine?"

"Have you finished editing the proposal?"

"My brain is no longer working. I spent the whole day staring at it and with Merlin's new numbers, I've to readjust other things. So, do you like Gwaine?"

"Maybe. It's none of your business." She was still blushing and Arthur shook his head.

That was true. But they were also friends and friends should look out for each other, shouldn't they? Plus, Gwen asked him about Elena every time they went out. Arthur figured turnabout was fair play. His mind drifted to Elena. While Gwen seemed fairly smitten with Gwaine, flushing whenever she mentioned him and he'd noticed the last time Gwen had met him, her hair wasn't in her usual messy pony tail but hung in curls around her face, Arthur wasn't quite sure how he felt about Elena. Elena wasn't difficult to be with and she seemed to really like him.

He sighed and pushed himself up. "I'm going home. I'm not making any headway here."

Gwen looked up at him. "Yeah. I'll see you on Sunday?"

Squeezing her shoulder, Arthur nodded. "Yeah. I'll work on the proposal. Don't forget the deadline to submit is on Wednesday, noon."

"It's written in large letters on my whiteboard. I won't forget. Good night," she called out as he walked out of her office.

"Don't sleep too late. You need to look beautiful for Gwaine, remember?" He smirked, before closing the door so she couldn't have the last word.

* * *

Sarah was babbling happily as Arthur walked down the driveway to his car. They were already late because Arthur had wanted to feed her before going for dinner but with her insistence on feeding herself, dinner had taken two times longer than he'd planned for. Thankfully he'd the presence of mind to let Morgana know he'd be late so she wouldn't arrive at Dad's earlier than him.

Just as he reached his car, another car drove up and parked behind his. Curious, he peered in. Gwen waved at him and next to her, Arthur guessed, must be sexy Gwaine.

"Hey! Sarah darling!" Gwen hastily got out of the car and walked up to Arthur, her attention solely on Sarah. "Hello you little darling. How have you been?"

When Sarah reached out towards Gwen, Arthur eased her gently into Gwen's arms. From the corner of his eyes, he saw sexy Gwaine get out of his car. This longish hair fluttered in the light breeze and he flashed Arthur a wide, white beam. Grudgingly, Arthur supposed that Gwaine would be what some people considered sexy.

"Hi. I'm Gwaine Greene." He swaggered – did he think he was a in a western film – around his car to where Arthur stood.

Offering his hand, Arthur smiled as pleasantly as he could. "Arthur Pendragon."

It was somewhat satisfying to see the surprise that crossed Gwaine's face. "I thought you looked familiar. Now I'm curious. What are you doing in a small neighbourhood like this? And with a little baby?"

Gwen finally stopped cooing over Sarah. "Arthur's my neighbour's best friend. And this is Sarah, his very adorable niece."

"You never mentioned you were on first-name basis with Arthur Pendragon. Aren't you full of surprises," said Gwaine admiringly to Gwen, who smiled under at his words.

Arthur made an effort not to roll his eyes. The nerves that had started building since he woke that morning and his instinctive dislike of Gwaine made him feel tetchy. The two of them were so obvious. Reaching out, he took Sarah back. "It's nice to meet you, Gwaine. Unfortunately, I'm late for an appointment so I can't stay to talk."

"Of course. You must be a busy man."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. Was Gwaine ignorant of Arthur's current situation or was he being sarcastic? Just then, his phone beeped. It must be Morgana demanding to know where he was. "Very busy," he said absently as he tried to put Sarah into the car seat.

"Ka-ka," said Sarah, swinging her arms around, making it even more difficult for Arthur to get the straps around her.

"Yes, car. We're going on a trip!" He pushed one of her waving arms down. "Now, be a good girl and let me buckle this."

Finally he successfully buckled Sarah in. With a sigh, he stood and walked over to the other side of his car, where Gwen stood. The moment he reached her, she put a hand on his arm.

"Good luck," she said quietly.

That she remembered where he was going combined with the concern in her eyes caused an unfamiliar warmth in him, taking the edge off his nerves.

"Thanks," he said as he slid into his car. As he started his car, he couldn't resist but call out to Gwen who was walking to her house with Gwaine. "Be good!"

She stuck her tongue out at him.

* * *

He saw Morgana lingering a few meters down from Uther's estate. When she noticed his car, she frowned, pushed herself off the wall she was leaning against and walked to Uther's place.

"Why are you so late?" she hissed as they stood at the main door, waiting for someone to let them in. "I was wandering outside for ages!"

"Stuff came up," muttered Arthur. "Here, you should take Sarah."

Saving him from Morgana's wrath, George, Uther's housekeeper, opened the door and gestured for them to enter.

"Sir is in the living room. Do proceed there for a drink."

Morgana made a face behind George.

Arthur shook his head and looked at Sarah. "Come Sarah. Let's go say hello to Grandpa."

"The moment he says anything the least negative about Sarah, we are out of here. I listened to enough of it when I was pregnant."

"He won't," said Arthur with more confidence than he felt. But surely, as horrible as his Dad could be, surely he would hold his tongue in front of Sarah. And who wouldn't take one look at Sarah and fall in love with her?

"No matter what he does, you'll always have more faith in him than he deserves." Bitterness laced Morgana's words. Lifting a hand, she pushed open the door to the living room. "Welcome to hell."

Uther, a glass in his hand, was lounging on the oversized armchair that dominated the room. "You're late."

"It's my fault," said Arthur. "I got caught up in some things."

Uther said nothing and Arthur noticed that he was staring at Sarah. "Is that –"

"Sarah," said Morgana curtly. "My daughter, whom you would have known had you been around when she was born."

Slowly, Uther stood and walked towards Morgana and Sarah. Something flickered across his face, something almost tender, as he examined Sarah. Sarah, unaware of the history and tension, grinned gummily at Uther and babbled her usual nonsense sounds at him.

After a prolonged silence, broken only by Sarah's chatter, Uther finally spoke. "So you're my heir."

Arthur watched his Dad closely. Morgana too, never took her eyes off him. But Uther didn't say anything else, or made any attempt to interact with Sarah. He took a step back.

"Shall we have dinner? I am quite hungry since you were late." Any smidgen of tenderness that Uther had unwillingly betrayed earlier was wiped away and he was the stern, unsmiling man Arthur knew.

Morgana cuddled Sarah close, pressing her face into Sarah's hair as she followed Uther out. So far so good, thought Arthur. At least no one had raised their voices yet.

It'd been a while since Arthur had eaten like this – a veritable buffet of food was laid on the table in front of them. Despite the heavy tension in the room and the awkward silence, Arthur found himself enjoying the food. Hilda had outdone herself. Amusing herself, Sarah banged her plastic plate on the table and Arthur noted with amusement that Uther said nothing.

"How are you, Morgana?" asked Uther stiffly.

"I'm quite well."

At least they were trying, thought Arthur as he put another mouthful of chicken into his mouth.

"Are you still working with that non-profit?"

Arthur shot Morgana a look.

"Yes, I am. Things are going well." An insincere smile was pasted on her face, as she poked at the chicken.

"Surely you would put Sarah before your work," said Uther disapprovingly.

Arthur jumped in quickly. "Dad, she has a babysitter and now that I'm free, I help."

"Then who is going to earn the money to bring Sarah up?" Morgana's fork clattered onto the plate and she looked coldly at Uther.

"You should have thought of that before getting yourself knocked up. Sarah shouldn't have to suffer because of your poor decision making skills."

"Dad," groaned Arthur.

Morgana dumped her napkin onto the table. "I knew this was a bad idea."

"You should have married the father."

"So you've said over and over again but I'm not trapping myself in an unhappy marriage like you did," snapped Morgana as she stood.

"Morgana! Dad! Look, we're a family." Arthur was standing now, reaching out a hand towards Morgana. "Can't we even have a meal together?"

"A family?" Uther shook his head. "You two are a disappointment."

"Maybe you should have married my mother," said Morgana, "then I might not have turned out such a disappointment."

Arthur closed his eyes, trying to contain his irritation and anger.

"That was different!"

Sarah started to fuss, the raised voices upsetting her. Immediately Morgana scooped her up. "Now you're making Sarah cry."

"Can we stop this?" Arthur finally said firmly. "Please."

"I'm going home," said Morgana. "Don't worry. Sarah and I will grab a taxi. You stay and have dinner, Arthur."

"Morgana."

"I'm sorry, Arthur." Without a word to Uther, Morgana picked up her things and walked out with Sarah, leaving behind a heavy silence.

"Why?" asked Arthur the moment Morgana left. "Why do you do this? Don't you want to get to know Sarah at least?"

Uther rubbed his forehead. "Morgana could have been so much more. She had such a bright future. But she had to get pregnant."

"Dad, this is worth losing her and Sarah? I used to be jealous at how much closer you seemed to be to Morgana and now, you're throwing it all away?"

"Let's talk about you. What are you doing now?"

Arthur sighed, putting down his fork, his appetite gone. "Investigating some opportunities."

"Would one of those opportunities be bidding for the city hall project against me?"

* * *

AN: Thanks for the feedback!


	10. Chapter 10

"If there's one thing your father isn't, it's a fool." Merlin said as he switched channels on the television.

"Apparently," sighed Arthur. "Between Gwen asking for the city hall blueprints, your association with her, our friendship and your resignation, he worked it out."

"Did you confirm it with him?" Gwen passed Arthur a glass of coke before settling down next to him on the sofa. "Do we really have to watch this?"

"It's the finals. I need to know who wins Camelot Sings. And it's my house."

Gwen laughed. "Is he always like this?"

"A literal dictator at home," said Arthur solemnly. "And to answer your question, when he confronted me, it was as if I went back to being that little boy who's petrified of his father."

"And? You told him everything?"

Arthur scoffed. "Of course not. It was basically, deny, deny, deny."

Next to him, he felt Gwen relax and sink into the sofa. "Good."

"You do realize that he will find out for sure on Wednesday. Bids are public. Then there's the presentations." Merlin dragged his attention from the television to say. "I am so glad last Friday was my last day."

As they sat watching the recap of each finalist's journey through the competition, Arthur found his mind wandering. Singing competitions weren't really his thing. They were, however, very much Merlin's thing. The rest of dinner with his Dad went by with the usual amount of stiltedness. Once possible, Arthur steered the conversation to art and sports – two things his Dad enjoyed debating about. By the end of dinner, his Dad had even smiled somewhat fondly at him and told him to come by again. Arthur had returned the smile, stopping himself from pointing out that his Dad had essentially thrown him out of the family home. No, that wasn't completely true. He had, during the fight, in a huff, declared that he no longer wanted to live there anymore.

Merlin suddenly sat up straight. "Look! Can you believe the judges gave Jacintha such high scores? It's all rigged, I tell you."

"Everything is rigged on television," said Gwen mildly. "And I thought she sang well."

"Not that well." Merlin folded his arms and slumped into the sofa. "I voted for Gideon."

A timer went off and Gwen hopped off the sofa. "Pies are warmed."

"I'll help," said Arthur as he stood as well. "Merlin is boring company anyway."

"I heard that! Don't forget you're living here rent free."

Gwen laughed, her pony tail bouncing as she darted into Merlin's kitchen. Once inside, she picked up the bright orange over mitts and opened the oven. "Get the plates."

Bossy, thought Arthur. That went into the negative list – although in all honesty, the two sides of the lists had now merged into one long list of being Gwen.

"Plates, Arthur."

Obediently, Arthur grabbed three plates from the cupboards and laid them out on the counter just as she turned and placed the oven tray down. The delicious scent of her pies tickled Arthur's nose.

"Angel of pies," he murmured.

"What?" She looked up, pushing stray hair off her face. "What did you say?"

Arthur grinned. "I said you're an angel of pies."

Gwen opened, the closed her mouth. He could tell she was stifling a smile. "Angel of pies huh? That's - well - that's unique."

Reaching out, he tucked her stray hair behind her ear. "You're unique."

And there it was again, that strange tension, curling around them like a warm blanket, twisting around them and pulling him towards her. It made it hard for him to look away from her and for that brief moment, she was the only one in focus. Arthur wondered if Gwen felt it too, this attraction, or if it was just him. But unlike him, she didn't seem caught up in the moment, swatting his hand from her hair and rolling her eyes at him.

It was probably just him and this was the result of spending long hours with her. He really should call Elena back.

Carefully, picking up one pie, Gwen placed it on one of the plates. Her eyes focused on the pie, she suddenly said, "Gwaine asked me for dinner on Thursday. Like a proper date."

"What?"

"Don't sound so surprised. Some people think I'm attractive." Another pie was placed on another plate.

"I'm just wondering if you should be mixing work and pleasure."

Gwen made a rude gesture at him, then eased the last pie onto a plate. "I like him. He's charming and nice."

"Nice," smirked Arthur. "Someone needs a dictionary."

This time, she smacked his shoulder, then pushed two plates to him. "I said yes, but I'm nervous. It's been a while since I've been on a date."

"Why are you telling me?" Arthur asked as he took the two plates.

"Because I thought we were friends. And this is what friends talk about." She picked up the other plate and the bowl of salad Merlin had prepared earlier. "And Merlin is completely apathetic about romance and dating."

Arthur smiled. "That he is. So why are you nervous?"

"Why is who nervous?" Merlin called from the sofa.

Crossing over to him, Arthur shoved a plate at him. "Gwen is going on a date and she's nervous."

"Oh! I'm sure whoever it is would love Gwen. Even Arthur likes you now."

Arthur could see the amusement in Gwen's eyes. "Even Arthur? Why, Arthur, I thought I'd charmed you from the get go."

"Anyway, Merlin is right. There's no reason to be nervous. Gwaine obviously likes you already if he's asking you out." He settled back on the sofa, pressing his fork into the pie. "Just be yourself."

"So says the guy with women throwing themselves at him," muttered Gwen.

"What women?" Arthur shifted forward to look at Gwen who sat on Merlin's other side.

"I mean you're Arthur Pendragon, surely women are crawling out of the woodwork to date you."

"Maybe before it got splashed all over the newspapers about how I left the company." He took a bite of pie. Yummy as usual. "People generally don't want to cross my Dad."

Gwen groaned. "And I smartly got involved with you and your family."

"Me too," said Merlin around a mouthful of pie.

"Hey, we're doing something worthwhile here. Anyway, it's too late for you two to back out now."

Both Gwen and Merlin made indistinct noises. Applause erupted on the television and the three of them directed their attention back to Camelot Sings.

"I have an idea," said Gwen suddenly. "We could make it a double date."

"What? Arthur and I with you and Gwaine?" Merlin asked. After a brief pause, Merlin grinned. "It could be fun."

"I am not pretending to be your date," said Arthur. "That's a ridiculous idea."

Merlin shot him a mock hurt look. "Why not?"

"Because – because you're not my type."

Gwen laughed. "What is your type?"

"Not skinny, big eared, I-don't-see-the-point-of-romance Merlin," said Arthur huffily. "And if you mean double date with Elena, then I guess I could ask her. I don't understand why you're so nervous anyway. It's not like you've not spent time with Gwaine before."

Privately, Arthur thought that if Gwaine didn't realize how great Gwen was, it was his loss. Because despite his first impressions of her, Gwen had grown on him and while he'd never tell her because she would never let him live it down, he was very fond of her. As a friend, that is.

"That was work. It's different. What if we have nothing to talk about? What if I say something wrong?"

Merlin shook his head. "Dating is overrated. And apparently so much trouble. Where's the phone? I need to vote for Gideon again."

* * *

Arthur, Merlin and Sarah arrived at Gwen's house early in the morning the next day.

"Sorry," said Arthur. "I know we have a lot to do today but Morgana's babysitter had a family emergency."

"It's no problem," said Gwen as she took Sarah from Arthur. "I was up earlier and made some final adjustments to the design. Shall we go take a look? Hello Sarah. Have you missed me?"

Arthur stood at the door as Gwen pressed her face into Sarah's neck, laughing when Sarah clutched at her hair. She blew Sarah a kiss, then made her way to her office. Something tugged at his heart.

"Hey." Merlin elbowed him. "Have you forgotten how to move? Or close your mouth?"

Arthur blinked. "I was just thinking of Elena."

"Huh. Well, stop it because tomorrow the deadline and we still have a lot of loose ends to tie up."

In the office, Gwen had brought out her nephew's highchair and deposited Sarah in it. When Arthur passed Sarah her favourite toy, she was sufficiently amused for them to leave her alone.

"Right, what changes have you made?"

Gwen spread out her blueprint on her worktable. On it was the familiar design that they'd discussed over the past few weeks. His first instincts were right – Gwen was an excellent architect. But more than that, she was an excellent architect with a love for Camelot and her history.

Her pencil popped into her mouth again. "Here, take a look at this. I've decided to keep the stairs and to make up for the loss in retail space, I thought that we could shift some things around. So."

Taking the pencil from her between her lips, Gwen spoke of the changes she had made and wanted to make, her pencil caressing the paper. Arthur watched the sweep of her arm as she drew, the passion in her voice and the way her eyes sparkled and the completely irrelevant thought of how she'd never seemed more beautiful entered his mind. Merlin was caught up in Gwen's enthusiasm, scribbling down notes in that battered note book he carted around and neither of them noticed when Arthur muttered something about getting a drink and disappearing out of the room.

As he walked to the kitchen, Arthur let out a long breath. What was wrong with him and all these strange thoughts and feelings about Gwen? He rubbed the back of his neck, then took a glass from her sink - messy woman didn't even bother to put her things back into the cupboards - filled it with cold water and gulped as much as he could down. Swiping a hand across his mouth, he told himself to get a grip. Once they submitted their bid, he could get some space. For a while at least.

Crying jolted him out of his thoughts and Arthur dashed back into the office.

Merlin had Sarah in his arms and he was rubbing her back but Sarah was having none of that. The moment she spotted Arthur, she cried even louder and reached for him. Quickly Arthur crossed over and took her from Merlin.

"Did something happen?"

"No. I think she's hungry? Or she needs a diaper change."

"I'll deal with her."

Back in the kitchen again, Sarah crying in one arm, Arthur heated up her food.

"Sweetheart, don't cry, alright? Food will be coming, hmm?" As he talked, he paced the small kitchen. "Just a while more."

While Sarah was no longer wailing, she was still sobbing. The microwave beeped and Arthur took out her warmed mashed peas.

Sitting on a stool, Arthur put her on his lap and peered down into her red-tinged eyes and tear streaked cheeks. Lifting a spoon of mash to her mouth, he continued talking. "Alright sweetie. Let's talk ok? Let me ask you a question – do you like Gwen? Hmm?"

Sarah gurgled as she gulped down a spoonful of mash.

"No. You cannot feed yourself. I learnt that lesson already." Arthur lifted another spoonful to her lips. "Do you think Grandpa will be mad that I lied to him?"

Sarah babbled more nonsense.

"You're right. He's going to be so mad. But you know what? He thinks I can't do anything without him. Well, we'll show him. Gwen's designs are gorgeous and Merlin, well, he's Merlin and he's worked hard to make the whole thing profitable. So we'll be fine."

Her sticky hand wrapped around his wrist. Arthur smiled down at here and shook his head. "How do you get so much food around your mouth?"

In response to Arthur wiping her mouth, Sarah beamed gummily. Then, with surprising agility, lunged for the spoon. "You naughty girl," laughed Arthur.

* * *

Arthur read the proposal once more. He'd already read it for what seemed to be a million times. But it had to be perfect and Arthur wasn't sure that it was. Although with his eyes feeling like sandpaper and his head aching, he was doubtful that this read through was going to be of any use. With a sigh, he sipped at his now cold coffee. Sprawled on Gwen's oversized armchair was Merlin, his head at an angle that would surely result in a neck ache the next day. In his hand, he held his trusty notebook. Then Arthur turned to look at the sofa he was leaning against.

Gwen was stretched out on the sofa, her top had run up so Arthur could see a strip of dark flesh just above the waist band of her shorts. He watched in fascination as her stomach rose and fell as she breathed. His eyes slowly drifted up to her face. Her lips were slightly open and her eye lashes fell against her cheeks. The light from the table lamp fell on her, giving her that angelic glow once more. Again he felt an odd tug at his heart.

He quickly turned away and ran a hand over his face. It was close to three in the morning. Their alarm was going off in about four hours and Arthur was still not asleep. Gwen had given him a blanket but her floor was hard and his mind was too full of the proposal and the many ways he could make it better.

Gwen stirred.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"What's the time?"

"Almost three. You should sleep in your bed."

Yawning, Gwen stood unsteadily. Her top fell, covering her stomach. "Yeah. You should get some sleep as well. We've done all we can."

Arthur smiled up at her. "I will."

Her returning smile was sleepy. Reaching down, she touched his shoulder gently, sending a slight shiver through him. "Good night, Arthur."

"Good night, Gwen."


	11. Chapter 11

The protest group was standing outside the building, chanting and waving their flags and banners, when Merlin turned into the car park.

"Wow," breathed Gwen.

"Hmm?" Arthur asked, meeting her eyes in the rearview mirror.

"I always knew that this was a big deal, but it was easy to ignore when holed up in our houses." She blinked a few times, and frowned. "What have I gotten myself into?"

Merlin shrugged. "Should have warned you. Getting involved with Arthur means getting involved with the Pendragons and their family problems."

"This has nothing to do with my family problems," said Arthur sharply, even as he knew it had everything to do with his family issues.

"If you say so," said Merlin mildly. "I remember having to break into Uther's home by climbing through a second storey window to retrieve Morgana's things once."

Arthur bit back a grin. "You have to admit, it was pretty fun."

"Maybe for you. I don't even know why I was involved in the great pregnant Morgana drama. It's not like I was Sarah's father."

"Who is Sarah's father?"

"She calls him Alvarr."

Merlin scoffed. "She calls him the jerk."

"That too. He's some guy she was with briefly. I think he volunteered at her non-profit. Turns out that volunteering at non-profits doesn't prevent you from being a jerk." Arthur shrugged. "I think she's happy now though."

"Sarah is a darling," said Merlin. "I almost miss having her around."

The car parked, Arthur got out, pulling the door open for Gwen. She brushed against him as she exited, sending that now familiar shiver through him.

"Got the documents?" He asked.

Gwen nodded and patted the folder she was clutching. "All here. Let's do this."

"Yup," said Merlin as he locked the car. "Let's go make our lives even more complicated."

A small group of protestors stood at the reception counter. Arthur supposed they were hoping to bring their protests indoors. A young lady broke away from the group when they spotted them.

"Gwen!"

"Janet!" Gwen took a step forward. "Hey."

"Why are you here? When you didn't come for the last meeting, I thought that you wouldn't be at today's protest. Have you brought – oh." The look in Janet's eyes cooled. "You're Arthur Pendragon."

Arthur smiled. "I am. This is Merlin."

"Janet Lee." Her returning smile was brittle and she yanked Gwen away almost immediately.

Merlin looked at him and Arthur shrugged. They were still early enough. As Janet and Gwen had their whispered conversation, the noise from the protestors outside increased. Arthur glanced outside, then groaned.

"Dad's here. He never ever submits his bids personally."

"He must have known you were lying," said Merlin. "What do you want to do?"

"Honestly? I want to run away and hide." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll go get Gwen, then we can get this over and done with."

"Too late," murmured Merlin. "The press has followed your father."

Arthur sighed as he watched his father and his trailing press enter the building. Thankfully, there seemed to be only one press team. Probably because his father bidding on yet another plot of land was really nothing newsworthy. "Brilliant. I suppose we won't be able to disappear without them noticing."

"I'm afraid not. I'm going to let you handle this." Merlin shoved him gently. "Good luck."

Under his breath, Arthur swore at Merlin, then pasted a smile on when the news team spotted him and stalked towards him.

"Arthur Pendragon! Are you here to repair your relationship with your father?" Arthur recognized the reporter – she was the one he'd spoken to about his concerns about Pendragon Holdings.

He widened his smile and stretched out his hand. "Isabel Ruiz from the Albion Post. I'm amazed this is worth covering."

Her grip was firm as she shook his hand, and there was a predatory look in her eyes. "With all the changes in your family, I thought it wouldn't hurt to take a look. Are you here to support your father's bid?"

"Actually I am not. I am about to put in a competing bid." For a while, Arthur savoured the surprise that crossed Isabel's face. He wasn't oblivious – he knew that many people believed that he'd been riding his father's coattails to the top – Arthur just found it easier to let them keep thinking that, always believing that eventually he'd prove them wrong.

Ever the consummate professional, Isabel quickly hid her shock. "Pendragon versus Pendragon. I admit, I didn't expect this of you. Is this a symbolic bid or do you think you're in with a chance?"

From the corner of his eye, Arthur saw Merlin gesticulating wildly, Gwen next to him, looking more unsure than he'd ever seen her. Merlin tapped his wrist.

"I'd love to talk more but I'm afraid I need to put in my proposal before the deadline passes." Arthur nodded, then walked back to where Gwen and Merlin stood. "Let's go."

"Why are the press here?" Gwen asked. And as steady as she kept her voice, Arthur could hear the undercurrent of nerves.

Without thinking, he took her hand and wrapped it in his. It fit perfectly. "Anything we do is big news. You know that," he said softly.

"I knew, but I didn't know." She smiled up at him, gave his hand a squeeze then dropped it. "Come on. Let's get inside to drop off the proposal. Don't want to be late."

* * *

"Arthur." Of course his father would be waiting for him in the office.

"Dad. This is Merlin, as you know and this is Gwen."

Uther's smile was insincere. "Gwen Thompson of Thompson Architect. I've seen your work. It's good but not quite on the scale that this project is."

Arthur never realized what it was like to be proud of someone until he watched Gwen stand firm in front of his father. No matter what, Uther Pendragon was still a huge figure in Camelot and coming face to face with him was not something people usually looked forward to.

"We all have to start somewhere," said Gwen, looking steadily into Uther's eyes. "And your son has been very helpful."

"My son." Uther's eyes flickered over to Arthur. "The man who was too cowardly to tell me he was submitting a competing bid."

Arthur lifted his chin. "I didn't think it was strategic to tip you off."

This time, his smile was more genuine. "Good thinking. Unfortunately, Arthur, as you are well aware, I don't like losing. You've always thought more with your heart than your head. Merlin. Gwen."

And then he was walking away. Arthur closed his eyes and tried to get his emotions under control. He hated how small his father could make him feel, as if he was still that little boy who never got anything right.

"Good luck, Dad."

Uther turned briefly. "You too, son."

The moment Uther was out of earshot, Merlin let out a breath. "That went well."

"Your father is worse in real life," muttered Gwen.

Arthur ran a hand through his hair. "He's not so bad. He's just angry with me."

"Ok, we've done something pretty amazing for three people – two of whom are unemployed. So, how about some ice cream?" Merlin said.

"Sounds brilliant," said Gwen. "Come on, Arthur."

Isabel pounced on them the moment they walked out of the office. Alluding to having spoken to his father, she demanded details of his decision to bid on the city hall.

"I had a different vision for the building from my father," he said firmly.

"And these two with you, they are working with you?" Isabel gestured to Merlin and Gwen who had hung back.

Arthur paused. "The details of our proposal will be made public within the week. I'm sure you can get whatever information you need then."

"Mr Pendragon –"

Ignoring Isabel, Arthur quickly ushered Gwen and Merlin to the lifts. When they finally reached the car park, he breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

"You did it!"

It was Thursday morning and in the business section of the Albion Post was the large headline trumpeting he and his father going head to head for city hall. Arthur had barely scanned the article when Morgana called.

Clasping the phone between his ear and his shoulder, Arthur sighed and tossed the newspaper onto the sofa. "I'm not deaf, Morgana."

"I honestly didn't think you had it in you to go against Dad."

Arthur paced in Merlin's small living room. "Well I did."

"How does it feel? What happens next?"

"Well, the plans are going to go public in a few days, then we have the presentations to do to the city officials and whoever wants to see. Then, I guess it's the vote."

"How confident are you?"

"I think, considering our resources, we did pretty well. Gwen's designs are brilliant." Arthur flopped onto the sofa. "But Dad won't lose without a fight."

"And he doesn't always fight fair."

Arthur didn't need Morgana's reminder. "No, he doesn't."

"I'm proud of you baby brother," said Morgana and he could hear the grin in her voice.

"Yeah."

"I got to go. I can hear Sarah waking up. You take care. And keep an eye on Merlin and Gwen."

"Yes, yes. And they're adults. They can take care of themselves." But even as he said those words, worry sat heavily in his stomach. "Say hello to Sarah for me."

Arthur glanced at the clock after he put down on Morgana. Picking up the newspaper again, Arthur read it a bit more carefully. The usual spiel of all the things his Dad had achieved in Camelot – how he single handedly revived the economy led the article, followed by the usual questions of Arthur's capabilities. He smiled as he read about how this move of his was 'brave' and 'impressive'.

His phone beeped.

_Gwaine is picking me up at 7. We'll meet at The Fox and The Horse?_

Damn. He'd forgotten about the double date with Gwen and Gwaine. When Gwen had asked again, chewing on her pencil and looking so eager and worried, Arthur found himself unable to say no, even as some part of his brain told him that it was a bad idea. He didn't even know why it was a bad idea. Elena had certainly thought it was a great idea when he asked her.

_Ok. See you there at 7:30._

Gwen's reply was a smiley and Arthur smiled at the phone, then dropped it next to him on the sofa.

"God, you're up early." Merlin padded into the living room. He yawned then stretched, before sitting on the sofa next to Arthur. "What are you doing today?"

"Watch some television, think about how we should approach the presentation then I have the double date."

"Huh," said Merlin. "Sounds fantastic."

"What about you?"

"I'm not sure. It's been a while since I've not had to go into work." In one movement, Merlin put his legs on the coffee table in front of them. "Maybe this is a good time for me to do some packing."

Arthur laughed. "You mean unpacking? You've been living here for months and there's still a wall of boxes in your guest room."

"Yeah that. Or I could sleep some more."

"You're such a bum. Come on, go get changed and let's get some breakfast." Arthur pushed himself off the sofa then snagged Merlin's arm, pulling him up as well. "Go."

As Merlin trudged to his bedroom, grumbling under his breath about Arthur being a pain and how he should really throw Arthur out, Arthur's eyes fell on his phone again.

_Don't suppose you want to join us for breakfast? My treat._

It took Gwen a full ten minutes to reply, ten minutes which he spent staring at his phone, wondering why her agreeing to breakfast was so important to him. Finally, his phone beeped.

_Sure. Gimme half an hour._

Arthur heart leapt and he grinned at his phone.


	12. Chapter 12

Perhaps someday in the future, Arthur would look back at this moment with humour, perhaps even tell his children or Sarah of how the strangest things hit you at the worst moments. But now, as Arthur watched Gwen, one hand pushing strands of hair out of her face, the other gesticulating as she talked about a holiday she recently took to Mercia, the realization that he was more than halfway in love with her punched him in the gut.

It punched him in the gut and it scared the pants off him. The thing was, Arthur had never quite been in love before and after the mess that was his parents' relationship, he'd never been all that keen to fall in love either. His Dad had hurt his mother badly and he never wanted to be in a position to do that to anyone, especially not Gwen. There was a reason he kept things casual with everyone he dated. Apparently, his heart didn't care about what his head thought because his heart was all aflutter and trying to jump out of his chest and give itself to Gwen.

"And did Gwaine turn out to be how you imagined him?" asked Merlin as he popped a mushroom in his mouth.

Humour danced in her eyes and she leaned forward, her voice dropping. "I thought he would be arrogant, you know, like Arthur. Rich men tend to be like that." She glanced teasingly at Arthur who found himself barely able to crack a smile in return. "But he's so charming and funny and, well, I've not felt like that in a while."

"I knew he wouldn't be able to resist you." Merlin shoved an elbow into Arthur's side. "Don't let Gwen down at the double date later. You have to talk her up."

He heard Gwen laugh, then tell Merlin to stop being silly.

"Uh, yeah," said Arthur absently. He tried to remember his list – specifically the negative side of his list – but all his brain would do was conjure up images of her that he didn't want.

"Arthur?" Now she was looking at him, her spoon resting on her lips, lips that he was now wondering how they tasted. "You seem to be zoning out there. Not enough sleep?"

He shook his head, trying to dislodge the most recent of image of Gwen on her sofa, looking all soft and inviting. "I was just thinking about the bid. We have to make a presentation in two weeks and the press is going to be all over it."

"I'm dreading going into the office tomorrow. My office assistant says the press is already calling."

"I'm dreading not having an office to go into," grumbled Merlin.

"I said I'd pay you. And we definitely need to start planning our presentation." Remembering Morgana's warning about his Dad not playing fair, Arthur again felt that heaviness in his stomach. He looked at Gwen. "Let me handle the press. Tell them you have no comment."

An eyebrow arched. "What if I have a comment to make?"

"You don't know the press, Gwen. I've dealt with them my whole life. Leave them to me."

She shrugged then went back to cutting up her pancakes. "Alright. When do you want to start working on the presentation? I have –"

"Merlin and I can do it. You should focus on your other projects." Arthur pushed the bacon on his plate around, unwilling to meet her eyes. "I'm sure you have a lot to do."

Arthur could feel both Merlin and Gwen's eyes on him. Stubbornly, he poked at this bacon.

"We're in this together. Gwaine's project won't start for a while and the High Street office is almost completed." Gwen stabbed at a piece of her pancake, popping it into her mouth, her lips glistening with honey.

The sudden, completely inappropriate, image of him leaning over to lick the honey off her lips entered his brain. Shoving his chair back, Arthur stood. "I – I have to make a phone call."

He made it to the door of the café when he realized he didn't have his phone. When he returned to the table, a wry smile on his face, to retrieve it, Gwen touched his hand. Her eyes warm, she tilted her head and asked, "Is everything ok?"

"Perfect," he croaked out before darting out of the café, this time with his phone.

There was a bench outside the café and Arthur slumped into it. He was being ridiculous – he was not in love with Gwen. Sure, he liked her and sure, he enjoyed her company but he felt that way about Merlin too and he wasn't in love with Merlin.

_What was wrong with being in love with Gwen anyway?_

Arthur scowled, drawing a strange look from an exiting customer. He could think of many things wrong, not the least of which was the fact that Gwen was clearly not interested in him. Then there was the fact that getting into a relationship with Gwen, should she even be willing, would open the both of them to being hurt and Arthur had no desire to repeat the experiences of his parents or even of Morgana's mother.

The bench creaked and he looked up to see Merlin next to him.

"Gwen's paying up."

"Mmm."

"Want to talk about what's wrong?"

"No. Not really."

Merlin shifted, then said in the most matter-of-fact way, "The way I see it, it's one of two things – your father has been in contact with you and threatened all sorts of things or you've realized you like Gwen as more than a friend."

"What –"

"Ok, breakfast is my treat. Despite your promises, Arthur." Gwen stepped out of the café. "So what is up with the two of you?"

Merlin hopped off the bench. "Arthur's feeling a little unwell."

Arthur glared at Merlin but before he could say anything, Gwen had stepped into his personal space. One hand touched his forehead as concern shone in her eyes. "You don't have a fever."

"It's just a headache," he muttered, pushing Gwen's hand away, hating how much he wanted to lean into her touch.

"Will you be alright for dinner?"

Of course that was her concern. Half tempted to use it as an excuse to get out from seeing her with Gwaine, he opened his mouth, only for Merlin to stomp on his feet.

"Hey!"

"He'll be fine. A nap and some water and Arthur will be right as rain."

Gwen looked curiously at him. "I hope so."

* * *

"What did you think you were doing?" demanded Arthur the moment he shut the door to Merlin's house.

"I was stopping you from being a selfish ass." Tossing his wallet onto the coffee table, Merlin walked into the kitchen. From inside he yelled out. "You were going to cancel on the double date. You know she was counting on you to be there. If you love her, then you should want her to be happy. And that means being at the double date."

Arthur walked into the kitchen and leaned against the door. "How did you know?"

"You're not exactly subtle. You're constantly talking about her and there's that way you stare at her – almost like you're going to eat her up." Merlin shrugged. "I may not actually fall in love but I watch enough dramas to know."

Arthur let his head fall back and hit the wall.

"I admit it didn't occur to me that introducing the two of you would lead to this," said Merlin. "But I like it."

"You like it?" Arthur spluttered. "Nothing is going to happen between us!"

"Because of Gwaine? Want some tea?" Merlin put the kettle on the stove. "I think that I will do some unpacking today."

Arthur shook his head. "Because of Gwaine. Because of the fact that we're working together on city hall. And oh, maybe because I don't think she feels the same way." Arthur stopped, then eyed Merlin. "Does she?"

Merlin turned from the stove. "I have no idea."

Great. Apparently he was an open book but Gwen wasn't. He rubbed his face. Obviously the solution to all this was to stop feeling this way. And if there's one thing Arthur was, it was determined. And he was determined not to get involved with Gwen. He could just picture himself making a clumsy advance and it exploding in his face and not just ruining his friendship with Gwen but his friendship with Merlin as well.

No. Better to leave things the way they were. Things were good now.

"Are you sure you don't want tea?"

"No. I'm going for a walk."

Merlin popped his head out of the kitchen. "All the lovelorn go on long walks."

"Shut up, Merlin."

* * *

Arthur looked at himself in the mirror as he adjusted his tie. Now that he'd a plan, he was feeling a lot better about that morning's revelations. Firstly, love didn't necessarily last forever so he'd get over Gwen one day. Secondly, Merlin was right. He wanted Gwen to be happy and if a successful double date would make her happy, then he would do his best to make it successful.

Objectively, Elena had outdone herself. Her hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders, her dress molded to her curves and she'd done something so that her eyes looked bigger. She took his hand as they walked to the restaurant, chatting about some case she was working on. As much as Arthur tried to pay attention to what Elena was saying, his mind wouldn't stop thinking about Gwen, going through every interaction he'd ever had with her, wondering if there was a possibility she felt the same way as he did.

"And then we decided to go to Mars for our holiday."

Arthur nodded.

Elena stopped, slipped her hand from his and placed them on her hips. Her eyes narrowed. "You're not listening. What's distracting you?"

"Ah, I'm sorry. My mind is still full of the city hall bid."

"I hear that from Monday onwards, the public will be able to view the bids. I suspect there's going to be a lot of interest this time round." She slipped her hand back in his. "Think you'll win the bid?"

"Honestly, I don't see why we wouldn't. Sure, our bid doesn't project profits as astronomical as my Dad's but we preserve the city hall façade, propose a cutting edge design that merges our town's history and the future and still have a mall that would bring in money for the town."

Elena rubbed his arm. "Sounds like you have a winner."

"We couldn't have done it without Gwen," said Arthur. "She really worked hard on the designs."

At the restaurant, a waiter led them to where Gwen and Gwaine were already seated. Arthur's first sight of them was of Gwaine playing with Gwen's fingers and jealously curdled in him. He'd known Gwen for longer yet had never touched her for longer than necessary, much less linger over her palm and fingers the way Gwaine was. And Gwen was laughing – not the way she laughed out loud when she was with him - no, her laugh was soft, giggly and it annoyed Arthur.

"Arthur!" Gwen stood, smiling widely. "Oh I'm so glad you're here. And you must be Elena."

Gently touching Elena's back, he did the introductions, watching Gwen carefully as her eyes flickered over Elena. Gwaine stood and shook Arthur's hand firmly. Once introductions were done, the four of them settled down to peruse the menu.

"I heard the fish here is good, Arthur," said Gwen. "You like grilled fish, don't you?"

Looking up from the menu, Arthur smiled at Gwen, pleased that she remembered. "As good as your pies?"

He enjoyed the slightly embarrassed smile on her face.

"Pies?" Gwaine looked at Gwen. The fact that Gwaine hadn't eaten Gwen's pies before improved Arthur's mood further.

"Gwen makes the most amazing pies."

"Oh you should give me the recipe," said Elena. "Although that probably wouldn't help me since I can't even manage to boil water."

"It's not hard. Maybe when I'm free, you could come over and I can teach you to make the pies. Arthur would love them." Gwen looked at him, her eyes alight with a mix of amusement and what looked very much like fondness.

Arthur blinked. Don't read too much into a look, he told himself firmly.

"So," said Gwaine once the waiter took their orders, "I learnt only today in the newspapers that you and Gwen worked together on that city hall bid that has the whole town talking."

"We did," said Arthur. "I'm glad Gwen decided to take the risk with me."

Gwaine nodded. "It's definitely a risk, going up against your father, especially for Gwen."

Arthur smarted at the vaguely disapproving tone but bit his tongue.

Gwen placed her hand on Gwaine's. "I knew the risks going in."

When Gwaine smiled at Gwen, turning his hand over to hold hers, Arthur looked down at his soup. This was going to be a long, painful date.

* * *

Despite Arthur's increasing discomfort, mostly due to the growing jealousy that churned in him, the other three had been in good spirits and the double date went well, except for the strange looks Gwen kept darting at him. Arthur hoped desperately that he hadn't been as transparent with her as he had been with Merlin.

At Elena's apartment, Arthur had kissed her firmly, hoping that it would spark something between the two of them, but as pleasant as the kiss was, Arthur couldn't stop thinking of Gwen and whether she was kissing Gwaine.

"Do you want to come in?" Elena asked, her fingers playing with his collar.

"I have a long day tomorrow." Gently, he removed her fingers from his shirt.

Elena smiled. "Another time?"

"Ok," said Arthur. "I had a nice time."

"Mmm. Gwen is very nice. And Gwaine, well, you can see why Gwen is smitten with him."

"Are you smitten with him too?" Arthur asked wryly.

Her hands were back on him. "Oh no. I am much more smitten with you."

And as if to emphasize her point, she leaned into Arthur and kissed him again. Arthur never felt guiltier.

* * *

Arthur switched off the engine of his car but made no move to get out. How did his life become so complicated in a matter of hours? Just yesterday, he was happily enjoying the Merlin and Gwen's easy friendship and now everything was a mess. There were so many reasons that him and Gwen would be a bad idea so he should have been pleased that Gwen and Gwaine seemed to get along like a house on fire but he'd spent the whole evening trying to keep his jealousy under control.

A knock on the window startled Arthur.

"Gwen! Is something wrong?" Scrambling, he opened the door and got out of his car. Gwen was still in the dress she wore to dinner but her hair was back in its messy pony tail.

"I was wondering that very same thing when you didn't come out of your car. Was your door stuck? Old doors can get stiff."

Even her jibe at his car couldn't temper the pleasure growing in him. "Are you stalking me?"

"I was waiting for you, then I felt a little foolish because you might have been staying the night with Elena. I was about to go in when you pulled up."

Arthur smiled. "Why were you waiting for me?"

"Ah. It's silly. You seemed quiet over dinner and you weren't feeling well this morning. I just wanted to see if you were alright." Gwen took a step back and gave a shrug. "I should have just texted you or something."

"No." Arthur reached for her, catching her hand. He'd never held her hand before, he realized, enjoying the feel of her skin against his. "It was very nice of you. I'm fine. Just a little tired."

Her tongue darted out and she licked her lips. Arthur swallowed, unable to move, unable to look away from her.

Finally, Gwen cleared her throat and pulled her hand away. "Good night then."

"Good night."

She continued to stand in front of him before she quickly jerked away and turned. Lifting a hand in farewell, she walked briskly to her door. With one last look back at him, a slight smile, Gwen disappeared into her house.

* * *

AN: Once again, I really enjoy all your comments so thank you. I hope this chapter was all you wanted it to be. Looks like this fic may continue for a while more yet.


	13. Chapter 13

Lying on his back on the sofa, Arthur lifted Sarah up, smiling as she chortled and flailed her limbs.

"She just ate. If she pukes all over you, don't blame me." A cup of coffee in her hand, Morgana settled down at her dining table. "So what do I owe this visit?"

"Can't I just want to visit my sister and niece?"

"If you say so. I had press calling me yesterday. Your feud with Dad is big news."

Arthur sighed, bringing Sarah down to his chest. "I underestimated the amount of interest."

"Why wouldn't they be interested? You publicly question him, then walk out of the job and suddenly emerge challenging him. It's like one of those soaps Merlin is always watching. The whole town is watching. I heard they are renting a bigger place for your presentations."

"Are you going to be there?" He tilted his head back over the sofa armrest to look at Morgana.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Sarah squirmed a little in his arms, drooled onto him then decided chew on his shirt. Smiling, Arthur cuddled Sarah closer, pressed a kiss on her head and rubbed her back. Gwen entered his mind again, not that she ever really left since that awful moment. "Do you think Dad loved your mother?"

He didn't have to look at Morgana to know she'd tensed up. "I don't think Dad knows how to love anybody. He certainly wanted to own her."

"Did you love Alvarr?"

"I wanted to but I really didn't. Plus he was a jerk so that probably worked out in my favour. What is this about? Are you in love?"

Arthur heard the wariness in her voice and tightened his arms around Sarah. "Of course not. The only person I'm in love with is Sarah."

"Well good," said Morgana, slightly bitterly. "I don't think we Pendragons are cut out to be in love anyway. It's not like we had very good role models, what with our parents and their drama."

"Don't you want to find someone though?"

Morgana stood, then walked over to take Sarah from him. "I have Sarah. I think that's enough. And if I need my bed warmed, there're plenty of men who would do it without strings."

Without strings. Gwen seemed the type to want lots of strings. Not that it mattered since she probably wanted strings with Gwaine and not him. And Morgana was probably right – he'd probably mess up any serious relationship like his Dad. On the sofa, Arthur groaned then closed his eyes.

* * *

"It's not punchy enough," said Gwen, her pencil resting on her lip. Then, she yawned and stretched, her shirt lifting and showed that tempting piece of skin again. Arthur swallowed, then tore his eyes away.

Merlin sighed. "You know, I agree. But Arthur and I have been working on this for two days and we're rather out of ideas. Hopefully you have some?"

Gwen rubbed her forehead. "Not tonight. I'll think about it."

"Are you alright?" Arthur hadn't seen her in two days and he was slightly alarmed that Gwen looked so tired. There seemed to be a permanent frown on her forehead and dark smudges ringed her eyes.

"Yeah. It's been a hectic two days." She smiled slightly at Arthur. "Your fault, by the way."

Arthur frowned. "My fault?"

"Mmm." She sat back down on her swivel chair, swinging from side to side. "The press has been hounding me for one thing. That is definitely your fault. But I suppose the problems at the High Street building site isn't."

"Are you up to going out for dinner?" Merlin asked. "Or shall we get some takeaway?"

Gwen smiled faintly. "You two should go out and have a good meal. Don't mind me. I just need to go to bed."

"You sure?" Arthur took a step forward and examined her closely. She looked tired. Worry and guilt pooled in him. "Do you want us to buy you something to eat?"

"I just want to go to bed." She yawned once more, then smiled. "Go. Go. Let me get my beauty sleep."

"Alright. Go get some rest," said Merlin as he disappeared through the door of her home office.

Arthur lingered a little, watching Gwen as she continued to swivel on her chair, her eyes closed. He opened his mouth, then shut it again. He had a plan and he had to stick to it. Taking one last look at her, he heaved a sigh and followed after Merlin.

* * *

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Arthur walked to the nearby café with Merlin, his mind still on Gwen – worrying about how tired she looked, wondering about the press calls, reminding himself of the promise he'd made.

"Got Gwen on your mind?"

"No."

Merlin chuckled. "Liar. You get that look on your face when you think about her."

"Well, I don't want to talk about it."

"Suit yourself. I have hours of television drama experience."

Arthur stopped outside the café and narrowed his eyes at Merlin. "You're offering to give me love advice based on your hours of television watching?"

"It's not like you have healthy experiences to fall back on."

"There was Vivian." Arthur shoved the door of the café open with a more force than was needed. It was slightly past dinner time and only a few patrons remained. "We dated for 5 years."

"And how many times did you two break up in that 5 years?"

Arthur glared unseeingly at the menu above the counter. "A few times."

"Understatement of the year. Can I get the veggie wrap?" Merlin dug in his pocket and emptied out some change onto the counter. "Less mayonnaise and more pepper."

Once Arthur ordered his dinner, they took a seat in a quiet corner of the café. He fiddled with the receipt, his eyes not quite meeting Merlin's. "It's better for Gwen and I to just remain friends."

"Huh."

Dropping the receipt to the table, Arthur looked up at Merlin. "That's all you have to say? Despite your hours of television knowledge?"

"Well." Merlin leaned back into his chair, crossing his arms. "If you really want my opinion –"

"Oh go on."

"I think that's probably the best. We have to work together and doing that while negotiating a romance isn't the best scenario. What happens when you mess up? Winning this bid should be our first priority. I quit my job and Gwen put herself in the line of fire of your father."

"Sometimes it scares me how much we think alike."

"And there's Gwaine."

And there was Gwaine.

* * *

"Arthur Pendragon, will this action of yours rend the Pendragon family apart?"

"How confident at you of a win?"

"Why did you decide to work with Thompson Architects?"

"Have you spoken to your father since the submission?"

Arthur drew himself up. Never show fear, his Dad had said often. "Of course I am confident of winning. I wouldn't have put in a bid if I thought I wouldn't win."

"In your bid, you chose to keep a lot of the façade of the city hall. This impacts the floor area of the proposed mall –"

Leaning forward, Arthur shook his head. "You can ask your questions about the specifics of the bid at the presentations."

It was a good half an hour before Arthur was able to escape back into Gwen's house, anger pulsing through him. Either the press had trailed him or his Dad had told them where to find him. Both scenarios pissed him off. It was fine if they just went after him but invading Gwen's house was over the line.

Gwen looked pale, as she sat on the sofa, curled in Gwaine's arms. "Are they gone? They've been camped out at my office for the past week and no matter how many times I tell them I have no comment, they won't leave. Some have even gone to the High Street site and hassled my contractors."

"I'm sorry," said Arthur as he slumped into the armchair.

"You should be," said Gwaine. "Gwen is under enough pressure with the problems at the High Street project. She doesn't need to be caught in your family problems."

"Gwaine." Gwen touched his cheek gently, her voice dropping. "Look, I knew there would be press interest going into this. I just wasn't prepared for how much."

It was bad enough that the guilt at how stressed Gwen had been the past few days ate at him, seeing Gwaine pull Gwen closer and drop a kiss on her head only made Arthur feel even worse. "The press interest will die out once something else more exciting comes along. In the meantime, we still have the presentation to work on."

"Arthur's right. The presentation is next week and it still needs a lot of work."

Childishly, Arthur's heart lifted when Gwen pulled away from Gwaine and stood up. And when Gwaine frowned, Arthur had to bite back a smile.

"Where's Merlin?" Gwaine stood as well. "It shouldn't be just you and Arthur working on it."

"He's running some errands for him mother but he should be here soon. Come, I'll walk you out." Gwen smiled at Gwaine and took his hand. Briefly, Gwen turned to Arthur. "Why don't you go to the office first?"

"Sure." Arthur knew he sounded petulant but Gwen was far too involved in Gwaine to notice. As if to torture himself, he lingered a while, watching as Gwen and Gwaine, heads close together, whispered to each other at the door. Gwen's hands were on his chest while Gwaine held her loosely around the waist. But the most painful part of it was when Gwen's laughed.

The soft, intimate laugh floated to Arthur and he had to tear his eyes from them. It followed him as he moved to her office, reminding him of all he wanted and couldn't have. With a groan, he took out his laptop and pulled up their presentation.

* * *

"This is going nowhere," groaned Merlin. "I'm going to get a drink. You two want anything from the kitchen?"

"Something cold," said Arthur.

"I'm good," said Gwen as she sat, hunched over the laptop and frowning at the presentation. She shook her head and sighed. "I can't pinpoint what is missing from our presentation."

Behind her, Arthur stopped pacing. "Neither can I. All the important facts and arguments are there and it's decent enough –"

"But it's not going to be enough going up against your father."

"Probably not. Especially when my father can promise much more profit from his plans."

"This is so frustrating!" Pushing her chair from the table, Gwen got up, then stumbled. Instinctively, Arthur caught her around her waist. Gwen's hands immediately flew to clutch at his shoulders.

"Oh." She looked up at him.

Her shirt had hiked up a little and part of his hand was touching her warm, bare skin. He should pull away, drop his hands. It wasn't as if Gwen was in danger of falling, but he couldn't.

And Gwen didn't let go of him either.

The air became thick, pressing down on Arthur. Breathing became more difficult and as he looked down at her, his world narrowed until it was just Gwen and her warm, smooth skin under his hands. He moved his thumb, making a slight circle on her hip and he thought he heard her suck in a breath.

Yet she still stood, far too close to him, her eyes dark and her lips opened slightly. The fruity scent of her perfume teased him.

She blinked, slowly. Then licked her lips.

Arthur tightened his hold on her waist as desire pulsed in him. He could almost feel her breath against his skin and he could see the freckles that dusted her face. His heart clenched. He'd a type, he knew and Vivian and Elena both fit it to a tee. Gwen didn't and yet, the way he felt about her surpassed anything he'd felt about Vivian and Elena.

"There's not a lot of options in Gwen's fridge so I got you some apple juice."

Swearing under his breath, Arthur dropped his hands and took a step back, willing his heart to stop pounding. Gwen turned away so quickly, Arthur couldn't see her expression. Was she angry with him?

Just that moment, Merlin entered the room.

"Did I miss something?"


	14. Chapter 14

AN: I made a small edit in the previous chapter. If you read the reviews, you'll know what and why. On another note, thank you for the comments! I apologise if this fic is getting too rambling (as the back of my mind keeps telling me) but well. I like the idea of them taking their time getting together.

* * *

_Good morning. :)_

Arthur stared at his phone, as guilt almost choked him. He'd been such a coward dealing with Elena. Gwen would be appalled. Even as anxiety rose in him, he quickly typed a reply.

_Are you free for lunch?_

Her quick reply only made him feel worse. He typed in a time and place, placed his phone on the table, then leaned back into his chair, closed his eyes and replayed that scene over and over again. What had he been thinking? Gwen was dating Gwaine and he had told himself to keep his distance. Yet within the matter of hours, he'd completely forgotten.

"I was looking at the presentation again."

"Any breakthrough?" Arthur cracked open an eye and looked up at Merlin. "You're still in your pajamas."

Merlin shot him a look. "Are we expecting visitors?"

"No."

"Then what does it matter what I wear? What's wrong with you?" Merlin pulled out a mug and some instant coffee.

"Nothing wrong with me."

"Want some coffee?"

Arthur shook his head. "The presentation?"

"Yeah." Clicking the switch on the kettle, Merlin turned around and leaned against the kitchen cabinet. "It's too professional."

Shifting so he was sitting up straight, Arthur said nothing. Merlin often started out cryptic but given time, he'd explain himself. Patience was always a virtue when dealing with Merlin, not that Arthur usually had much patience. As Merlin pottered around the kitchen in his ugly pajamas, making his coffee and toast, Arthur drummed his fingers on the table.

Merlin started to hum the theme song of one of his dramas.

"Alright. What do you mean by too professional?"

"Remember how Morgana called us a scrappy band of something? And you know how everyone loves an underdog?"

Arthur leaned forward as Merlin's words sunk in. "So our presentation looks too slick, too impersonal?"

"Exactly." Sliding the coffee cup onto the table, Merlin took a seat.

"What do you propose we do?"

"I have no idea."

* * *

Percy, Morgana's babysitter, looked suspiciously at Arthur before handing Sarah over.

"Say bye bye to Percy," said Arthur, waving Sarah's arm at Percy.

She happily babbled her goodbyes.

"Thanks! I'll drop her off at Morgana's."

Always the silent giant, Percy just nodded, then closed the door, leaving Arthur and Sarah in the corridor. Arthur peeked down at Sarah in his arms, and smiled. If there was anyone who could ease the storm of feelings that had been buffeting him over the past weeks, it was Sarah. Whenever he was with her, there was a sense of peace that always enveloped him. Strapping her into his car, he kissed her head, taking in a breath of her baby scent before starting the car. The plan was to go for a walk in the park, feed some of the ducks and that one swan and try and forget about all that plagued him.

He didn't count on bumping into Gwen at the park.

"Did you throw your doggy out?" Arthur stood from the bench and crouched next to the stroller, peering around to see if he could find it.

"Looking for this?"

Lifting his head, Arthur found himself looking up at Gwen. In her hand was Sarah's stuffed dog.

The joy that hit him when he saw her was indescribable. "Hey you."

She smiled. "Hey you. And hello Sarah. Do you remember me? I've missed you."

As Gwen bent over the stroller and tickled a very amused Sarah, Arthur saw that Gwen still looked stressed. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it but she looked like she lost weight as well.

"It's not lunch time for you, is it? Because if it is, don't you think it's rather late?"

"Ah, the building site needed to stop work till that mess we have with the paperwork is sorted out. And I didn't feel like going back to the office." She stood, wiping her hands on her pants, and gave him a wry smile. "It's so frustrating, you know. I've always been careful about all the paperwork that needs to be done but somehow I managed to miss filing this. And now, of course, everything is delayed and my client is not happy to say the least."

As he pushed Sarah along the pond, Gwen walked beside him. "When did this problem surface?"

"The day after we put in the bid – that was Thursday, I think." Gwen shook her head, her pony tail swishing from side to side. "Thankfully Gwaine has been so understanding about it because it's affecting my work on his project as well."

"Gwaine sounds nice." He kicked a pebble across the path.

"He is. He's been really good to me these few days."

"I guess you two are serious about each other." Why he was torturing himself like this, Arthur had no clue. But perhaps if he heard more about Gwen and Gwaine, he'd stop that pining his heart insisted on doing.

"Serious? It's only been a week." Gwen shrugged. "But I like him."

Arthur glanced at Gwen. "Yeah he seems like a good man."

"How about you and Elena?"

Immediately, Arthur remembered the very awkward lunch he just had. "Oh. We're just friends."

"I thought you two were more than friends." Gwen stopped walking and turned to face him. "Did you get dumped?"

"No. Actually, I told her it wasn't going to work out just today."

Gwen made a comforting noise and rubbed his arm. It was supposed to be comforting but all Arthur felt was desire curling through him. Quickly he took a step away from her.

"I thought you liked her."

Gripping the handles of the stroller tightly, Arthur walked on, trying to get his raging hormones under control. He wasn't a teenager anymore for goodness sake. "I thought I did too. Turns out I didn't."

"So, you're single again huh?"

Arthur stopped. The words were flippant but there was something in her tone. Slowly he turned to face her. "Yes," he said, his voice low. "I'm single again."

She was closer than he thought.

"That's good," she said.

"Good?" He dropped his hands from the stroller. "Why is it good?"

She frowned but said nothing.

Arthur stared down at her and she looked right back at him, her brown eyes filled with a message he wasn't sure he was reading correctly. Slowly, he brought his hand to her cheek.

She didn't move away, moving her face imperceptibly into his palm. Whatever plan he had, whatever common sense he had, disintegrated under her gaze.

"Yesterday," he said quietly. "I almost kissed you."

"I know," she whispered, one hand moving to his hip. Her touch was light, barely felt through his shirt, but it was enough to send Arthur's blood rushing through him.

For a while, they stood unmoving, just staring at each other.

"Gwen."

She blinked, then suddenly took a step back, her chest heaving. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

Desire still coursed through Arthur although he suddenly felt bereft. Gwen was still apologizing, her eyes everywhere except on him. The distress on her face was like ice water.

"I should go to the office."

"Gwen. We just got caught up in a moment. It just happened. It doesn't mean anything."

Nodding, Gwen gratefully took the out he gave her. "Yeah. I really have to go to the office. And it's not like you can give me a in your car."

Accepting her attempt to ease the lingering tension, Arthur smiled. "One day Gwen, you'll take back your words."

This time her smile was more genuine and Arthur basked in being able to rescue them both from that ill-advised moment. "And one day, you'll let me drive your car."

"Never," he said as she walked away.

* * *

"You're late."

Arthur arched an eyebrow at his sister, who leaned against the front door, arms crossed, feet tapping against the floor. "By about 5 minutes. We were having fun."

She stepped aside, allowing Arthur to enter her small apartment with a sleeping Sarah. Gently he lowered Sarah into her cot, adjusted her stuffed dog next to her, then leaned over and dropped a kiss on her head. Morgana came to stand next to him, her fingers curling around the sides of the cot.

"How was your day?"

Morgana kissed him on the cheek. "Good. Except for some reporters who were trying to get me to take sides between you and Dad."

"I hope you chose my side."

"You tired Sarah out. And of course I picked you to win. I even gave a little speech about the importance of preserving the heritage of our town." Gently, Morgana touched Sarah, tracing her cheek. "What did you two do today?"

"We went to the park, fed some ducks. She's a big fan of the aggressive swan."

"She's a big fan of everything that moves."

Sarah started to stir, making grumbling noises. Arthur ran a hand over her soft hair, smiling fondly at Sarah. "She's a darling. Thanks for letting me have her."

"I would like to point out to you that I still have to pay Percy even though you took her off him."

"You can afford it."

In response, Morgana smacked his shoulder. "Want to have dinner together? I've some leftovers from yesterday."

"Yeah, why not?"

* * *

When Gwen asked Arthur to come over to her place, without Merlin, to talk, dread pooled in his stomach. She greeted him at the door, her face streaked with flour.

"Pies?"

"Your favourite." Her lips quirked into a slight smile.

His heart immediately leapt as irrational hope built in him. "Need my help?"

She turned to walk into the kitchen. "If by help you mean tossing flour at me, then no."

As usual, her kitchen was a mess, bowls and spoons strewn all over the place, flour all over the counter tops. It was utterly Gwen and Arthur never realized he could like messiness so much.

Picking up a spoon, Arthur leaned against her counter, and watched as she checked on her pies in the oven.

"What are you smiling at?"

"You," he said honestly.

"Ah." Her eyes slid from his and she folded the towel she used to handle the oven pan, slowly and carefully. Arthur was pretty sure she was usually never so neat. She was nervous and that made him nervous as well. His fluffy, irrational hopes dissipated.

"Ah?"

"I think we need to talk about what happened yesterday." Gwen began moving bowls from one part of the counter to another, still refusing to look at him.

Arthur stiffened as tension built in him. "We're in business together."

Finally, she looked up at him. "I'm not backing out of that. I just think that we need to draw some lines. Be clear about things."

His hands curled into fists. "About things. If you are worried I'm going to pounce on you, then there's nothing to worry about. I can control myself."

"Arthur." She sucked on her lower lip and he hated how it made him want to kiss her. "I –"

"It's just physical attraction. It happens. You're not the first one." He was overreacting, being an ass but it seemed the only way to deal with the pain. Pushing himself away from the counter, he walked out of the kitchen, pausing at the entrance. "Don't worry, Gwen. I know where the line is."

"Arthur!"

He stopped but didn't say anything, tensing when he felt Gwen walk towards him, then her hand on his arm. Slowly, reluctantly, he turned around and seeing Gwen, her eyes sad and worried, the anger that had surged in him, disappeared.

"I don't want to lose our friendship. Not over this. Acting on our attraction – it's a bad idea. We work together and –"

He covered her hand with his. "And I'm not a good bet."

"That's not true."

Rubbing his thumb over her hand, he smiled. "Well, I wouldn't bet on me. So you probably shouldn't."

The oven beeped. Gwen shot him a wry look. "Pies."

* * *

Merlin arrived a while later and as they tucked into Gwen's pies, Merlin shared their breakthrough from a few days ago. At least talk of work, distracted Arthur from the awkwardness that was bubbling between him and Gwen.

"Only," said Merlin. "We can't decide how to give the presentation more heart while keeping it professional. We thought of a video but that might be too produced and too fake."

Arthur nodded. "It's a fine line to walk. My dad can put up something slick and professional but it's expected of them. They are promising profit. We are trying to win people over with history and nostalgia."

Gwen chewed slowly, clearly deep in thought. "So we need to make them nostalgic. What about bringing them to the city hall itself? We don't have to have the whole presentation in the conference hall right?"

"That's a brilliant idea." Merlin put down his fork, a clear sign that he was excited.

Her eyes sparkling, Gwen also set her fork down. "Stories. People love stories. We bring them to the city hall, tell stories of its place in the town – it's bound to tug at their heartstrings."

Watching Gwen and Merlin trade ideas, Arthur couldn't help but grin. All his years working on projects in his father's company, he'd worked with various people and while he'd generally worked well with them, there was never this energy, this synergy. So this was what all those business consultants were talking about during all those boring training he had had to sit through.

"Videos," said Arthur. "We could interview people for the videos. Don't make it too polished. Together with the visit, it could work."

Gwen beamed at him. "I think we might have a pretty good idea here. We just have so much to do."

"We have slightly less than a week. It's not impossible. Arthur and I will work on it." Merlin popped a piece of pie in his mouth. "I'm pretty excited."

Arthur smiled at Gwen. "Me too."

* * *

Merlin was out looking for people to interview and Arthur was working on polishing up their opening presentation when the doorbell rang. Annoyed at the interruption and convinced that it was more reporters, Arthur swung open the door, ready to bite someone's head off.

"Gwaine!"


	15. Chapter 15

Gwaine was the last person Arthur expected to see at his door. Schooling his face into a pleasant smile, Arthur nodded at him.

"Gwen's place is next door."

"I'm actually hoping to talk to you." Gwaine rocked back on his heels and smiled widely at him. A smile Arthur thought looked as real as the faux leather jacket that was tucked in the back of his wardrobe.

"Oh?" Crossing his arms, Arthur leaned against the door, trying to look as relaxed as Gwaine seemed, even as his insides tensed up. "What about?"

"Can we go in? Probably not the kind of conversation we should be having outside."

With reluctance, Arthur held the door open, allowing Gwaine inside. Gesturing to the sofa, Arthur asked Gwaine if he wanted a drink, something he declined, which left Gwaine sprawled on the sofa and Arthur hovering near the television.

Awkward was probably too mild a word for the atmosphere in the room.

"Gwen tells me you approached her to be part of your little rebellion against your father."

"This isn't new information."

Gwaine smiled again, or at least he moved his lips to approximate a smile. "No, of course not. You do realize that the trouble she's having with her current project is your father's fault or is that new information to you?"

It all fell into place and Arthur couldn't believe he had been so blind. Not that he was going to let Gwaine know that. "And?"

"And, seeing that you are the one who dragged her into this mess, I suggest that you do something about it." Finally Gwaine sat up straighter, an eyebrow raised in challenge.

"Firstly, I didn't drag Gwen into anything. She came on board on her own steam. Secondly, if Gwen needs me to do something, she should come to me." Even as Arthur said those words, guilt took up residence in his stomach.

"Maybe she's concerned that you're like your father."

Arthur stiffened. "Gwen knows that I'm not like my Dad."

"Does she?" Gwaine shrugged lazily. "I wouldn't be too sure."

"What do you want, Gwaine?"

In one smooth movement, Gwaine stood. "I want you to stop her from getting in deeper with you and your family feud. I want you to stop using her."

"And what does Gwen want?" Arthur clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms, as he tried to reign in his anger.

Gwaine took one step closer to Arthur, his eyes cool. "I've butted heads with your father before. I know what he is like and I don't think Gwen knows what she is getting herself into. Unlike you, she doesn't have a trust fund to fall back on. If your father destroys her business -"

"I will not let my Dad do that to Gwen."

"Really?" Gwaine tilted his head. "Because I don't see you doing anything. She shouldn't be part of this one-upmanship thing you and your father have."

"Then perhaps you should tell her that," said Arthur coldly, walking to the door. "If there's nothing else, I think you should leave."

"If you care for her, you'll do what I ask."

Stepping outside with Gwaine, Arthur glared at him. "Gwen is an adult. She can make decisions for herself."

Without a word, Gwaine turned away and walked down the path.

Under his breath, Arthur swore.

* * *

Catherine barely raised an eyebrow when Arthur stepped out of the lift.

"You don't have an appointment."

Ignoring her gentle admonishment, Arthur asked, "Is Dad in?"

"He's in a conference call actually. If you wait, I can probably squeeze you in after this call."

"Right. Thank you." Dragging a hand through his hair, Arthur slumped into a chair. He dropped his head into his hands as his mind swirled with what seemed like a million thoughts. As annoying as Gwaine had been, it couldn't be denied that there were a few kernels of truth in his words. He could afford to fail, but both Merlin and Gwen could not.

When they were younger, Morgana had declared that he was the most selfish boy she knew. She wasn't wrong. In plunging into this, he'd thought of nothing more than showing up his father, of establishing himself in the town. He hadn't considered how much Gwen and Merlin were risking.

"Arthur?"

Looking up, Arthur saw his father looming in the doorway of his office.

"Dad. I need to talk to you."

"Have you decided to withdraw from the bid?" Uther asked as he settled himself back into his leather chair, leaned forward and steepled his fingers against his chin. "It really is better that you do."

Arthur refused to sit down. "Have you been meddling in Gwen's project?"

"You mean that mediocre building that is coming up on High Street?"

"I know you always play to win, but sabotaging Gwen's project is going too far. I want you to stop whatever you're doing."

"Let's say what you're accusing me of is true. Then, the simple solution would be for Gwen to stop fighting a losing battle. But you're wrong, son. I haven't interfered in your little girlfriend's project."

Seething at his father's dismissive words, Arthur snapped. "She's not my girlfriend and I don't believe a word that comes out of your mouth. You've already lost Morgana. Is winning the bid worth losing me?"

"Are you threatening me, Arthur? You owe everything you have now to me." Uther was standing as well, no longer as relaxed as he was just moments ago. "The fact that you can run off and play at being the town's saviour is because I taught you everything you need to know and the trust fund your mother set up for you. You would have not been able to do any of this without me."

As Uther walked around the table towards him, Arthur had to steel himself not to move. "I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do."

"Don't lie to yourself, Arthur. Are you really doing it for the town or are you doing it for yourself?" Uther clapped a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "I have to get to a meeting now. As for Gwen, I don't know what lies she is feeding you, but I have nothing to do with whatever problems she's facing."

Briskly, Uther walked out of the office, leaving Arthur all alone, a torrent of emotions churning in his gut, slowly chipping away at his determination to win the bid.

* * *

Percy didn't even blink. He simply packed up Sarah's bag, passed it to Arthur, then handed over an excited Sarah, who fisted her hands in his hair and babbled into his ear.

"Thanks," said Arthur as he slowly eased her damp fingers from his hair. "I'll bring her back to Morgana's."

Always the silent one, Percy grunted then closed the door on Arthur.

* * *

"Something happened to Percy?" From his prone position on the sofa, Merlin looked up curiously at Arthur and Sarah.

"I just wanted to spend some time with someone who isn't going to yell at me."

"I don't know. Sarah yells a lot." Pushing himself up, Merlin stretched. "Anyway, I did some initial interviews and narrowed down a few people who really love the city hall. I found a couple who got married there and then celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary there as well. That's going to make a great story. Gwen will be excited. She said she's going to come over after work."

Arthur paused, shifting Sarah in his arms. "Why?"

"To discuss the presentation, of course. What is wrong with you?"

Shoving Merlin's legs off the sofa, Arthur settled down with Sarah bouncing her gently on his lap. In her hands, she held her stuffed dog. Gurgling, she dropped it and reached for Merlin.

Merlin smiled and pinched her cheeks. "Hello darling."

"I have been thinking." Arthur let Sarah crawl over to Merlin.

"Never a good sign."

Shooting Merlin a dirty look, Arthur continued. "Perhaps we should do the presentation ourselves."

"What do you mean, ourselves?"

He scratched his knee and looked away. "Without Gwen."

"You're going to cut her out?" Merlin stood quickly, cuddling Sarah close to him. "Have you lost your mind? Gwen worked so hard on this and now you want to dump her? Have you turned into your father?"

"My father?"

"Isn't this the sort of thing your father would do? Make use of people then dump them when they weren't needed."

_I want you to stop using her._

_Are you really doing it for the town or are you doing it for yourself?_

"Maybe I am like my father," said Arthur slowly. He reached for Sarah, wanting to hold her as he forced these words out of him. "Gwen has done what she can for our project. We can handle the presentations."

Merlin stared silently at Arthur, disappointment mixed with anger in his eyes. He shook his head. "You know what? You tell her that when she comes by. I am not going to be part of this conversation. I think I'm going to visit my mother."

The door slammed, startling Sarah who started to fuss. Walking up and down to calm her, Arthur wondered what on earth he was doing.

"This way, we can protect Gwen from my Dad," Arthur said to Sarah. "You agree right? It's better that her involvement is minimized. It's better for her."

Popping her hand from her mouth, Sarah patted his cheek and smiled, showing off the teeth she'd recently acquired.

"See, you understand." But even as he said that to Sarah, Arthur felt sick to his stomach.

* * *

Gwen was sitting on the steps to her house when Arthur pulled up. When he got out of his car, she stood and walked towards him. The expression on her face made Arthur's heart sink.

"We've known each other for months now and I still haven't had a ride in your car."

Whatever he expected Gwen to say, this wasn't it. "We could go for one now. Just let me take out the child seat."

"Okay."

Arthur placed the car seat in Merlin's house then walked back to his car where Gwen was waiting. A drive would be a good opportunity for him to have a talk with her about her involvement in the bid. Opening the car door, he gestured for Gwen to get in.

"It is nice inside," said Gwen but Arthur could tell she was distracted.

"It moves well too." Inane conversation, thought Arthur. Obviously both of them were avoiding something.

He heard her sigh. "I got a cryptic message from Merlin. He said he wasn't going to be around today so our meeting is off."

"I think he's upset with me."

"I kind of got that from his message."

Arthur could feel her eyes bore into him and the unspoken question. His grip on the wheel tightened. "We had a difference of opinions."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

It was the concern in her voice that broke Arthur. "I am not a good person, Gwen. Don't fool yourself into thinking I am."

"That's nonsense." Her retort was immediate, and it warmed his heart a little. Ruthlessly, Arthur squashed that warmth.

"I want to pay you for the plans."

The confusion was palpable in her voice. "Pay me? But we –"

"I'll pay you, and you'll retain credit for the design but you won't be part of the bid."

A long silence followed before Gwen finally replied coolly. "I'm sorry. Am I hearing you correctly? You're kicking me off the team?"

"As I said, I will pay you for the plans. It'll be like we contracted you just for the designs." They hadn't said where they were going and Arthur found himself near the park. He pulled into a parking lot.

"Amazing," muttered Gwen. "I can't believe this. Gwaine was right." With a jerk, she pulled off her seat belt and yanked the door open.

"Gwen." Arthur got out as well, to see her walking away. "Look, at least let me bring you home."

Turning, she swore at him before walking away again.

It was a long walk back home and dusk was approaching. Quickening his pace, Arthur caught up with her, grabbing her arm. Predictably, she pulled her hand away.

Then, she stopped. "You know what? Explain this to me, because I don't understand. Because right now, it seems to me that you got what you want from me and you're dumping me."

Slowing to a stop next to her, Arthur rubbed his face. "It's better for you."

"Better for me? Who are you to tell me what is better for me?" Gwen took a step away from him, and that small gesture was enough to tear at his heart.

But it wasn't just her stepping away from him that made Arthur's heart drop. It was also because it was as if Gwen's words had cleared his head. He remembered how Gwaine had irked him by presuming to know what was best for Gwen. Doing this wasn't making him less like his father.

He slumped into a nearby bench, dropping his head in his hands. After a moment, he felt the bench move slightly and felt Gwen next to him.

"I broke up with Gwaine."

The sudden change in the subject startled Arthur and he looked up at Gwen, who was staring straight ahead. "I'm sorry."

"See, today he came by my building site and basically told me that I should stop working with you."

"And that's what made you break up with him?"

Gwen smiled wanly. "Sort of. My father and brother used to think they knew what was best for me. I don't need to be in a relationship with someone else who thinks they know my life better than me. Going behind my back, talking to you, making decisions for me – that's not what I need."

Not that Arthur had harboured any foolish notions of being with Gwen, but this sealed the fact that if he'd any chance, he probably lost it with his earlier words.

"So why are you also doing this?"

"I don't want to put you in between me and my father. But you're right. You know the costs of doing this. You should decide if you are willing to pay them."

Finally, she turned to look at him. "Your father?"

"I know he messed with your paperwork for the building site at High Street."

A frown marred her forehead. "No he didn't. I was careless."

"He didn't?"

"No. Did you think – oh, all the problems were caused by my own carelessness. That and my preoccupation with the bid."

Arthur let out a bitter laugh. "I thought asking you to leave the bid would protect you from my father."

"Why didn't you just discuss this with me?"

"When Gwaine told me that my Dad was responsible for the problems at your building site, I was furious with myself for not making the link. Then I went to see my Dad who, as usual, made me doubt myself and why I was taking on this project. And I just didn't want you involved in what was my ego trying to score points against my Dad."

"Arthur." Gwen's hands wrapped around his. "I've worked with you for over a month on this. I know you're not just doing it to prove a point to your father. You love this town."

"I don't want you to leave the project," he said, slipping his fingers between hers.

"I am not planning to, no matter what you say."

The tension that had been in him since the moment Gwaine had paid him a visit, the one that even Sarah's presence hadn't been able to ease, slowly seeped out of him, only to be replaced with another tension, one Arthur was certain Gwen shared as well.

In the moonlight, in the quiet, everything appeared almost dreamlike. And in that fanciful atmosphere, Arthur did something that had been plaguing his fantasies.

Gwen didn't pull back when his lips touched hers. Instead, she leaned into him and sighed.

* * *

AN: Thank you for your concern and comments. I just had a busy week at work and a bit of a writer's block so this took a while to write. I hope you enjoyed this!


	16. Chapter 16

No matter how much he wanted the kiss to last forever, the need to breathe mean they eventually had to separate. The soft sigh that escaped her lips and curled around his heart would remain with Arthur forever. But when Gwen opened her eyes and reality dispersed the desire clouding his brain, Arthur realized that the memories of this kiss and that sigh would be all he had.

In her eyes, he could see a mix of wariness and shock. He wouldn't be surprised if the same emotions were reflected in his own eyes.

Running a finger across her lips, Gwen took a step back, breathing heavily. "Oh."

"I shouldn't have done that."

"I wasn't exactly complaining." She still looked slightly shocked, her finger still resting on her lips, lips he wanted to taste again.

He smiled slightly, affection for her overwhelming him. And it was exactly this affection that scared him. "I was serious when I said I wasn't a good bet for a relationship before."

The shock had clearly faded and Gwen was now studying him intently even as the light faded. "What are you saying?"

"That conversation we had a few days ago? About why we shouldn't be acting on this? Nothing has changed, Gwen." He swallowed, tilting his head to stare at the darkening sky, not wanting to see the expressions on her face. "And even if things had, it's not a risk I want to take."

Silence greeted his words, punctuated only by the sound of the evening wind pushing through the trees, rustling the leaves in its wake. Unable to bear her silence, he snuck a peek at her. She too wasn't looking at him.

"What about Elena?"

Arthur frowned. "I am not seeing her anymore."

"But you were willing to get into a relationship with her." This time Gwen looked at him, her usually expressive eyes shuttered.

"Oh. It's different."

She wiped her hands on her skirt and stood. "Alright."

That one word held within it a plethora of emotions, most of them negative. Wanting to explain, to stop her from being disappointed in him, Arthur grabbed her hand, preventing her from walking away.

"Gwen."

"I get it." Gwen pulled her hand from his and took another step away. She shrugged and attempted a smile. "This is just physical for you. Nothing more. I mean, we didn't even like each other in the beginning. For all I know, you still don't like me now."

"No, you can't believe I don't like you," said Arthur. He didn't attempt to touch her again, despite wanting to very much. "With Elena, it was never going to be anything serious but with you, it's different. With you, it's more than just physical attraction. I like you so much that I want to promise everything."

It was her turn to frown at him. "Alright," she said slowly. "That's a good thing right?"

"It's because I care for you that I don't think this is a good idea."

She raised her eyebrows. "You're telling me that you care too much about me to date me? I have never heard anything so ridiculous before."

Put that way, it sounded silly. But Gwen didn't know about how awful his family was at relationships, how awful he was at relationships. "It's not! Surely you've read about my family. The whole soap opera that it is."

"What does your family have to do with us?" She sucked in a breath, chewed on her lips a little, then looked down at her feet. "I like you Arthur. Maybe I shouldn't. As you said I didn't before, when I thought you were like your father, but you're not and I do like you a lot now. And I know we talked about working together being complicated, but we're adults. We can work something out."

Her words were like glass shards, cutting his heart. He wanted so much to take what Gwen offered, to try with her but he remembered Morgana's words, remembered how much he'd hurt Vivian all those years ago and how much his mother suffered. Gwen deserved better than that.

She cupped his face gently, lifted herself up and brushed her lips across his. "Arthur, take a chance on us."

For a brief moment, he closed his eyes, enjoying the flutter of her lips against his and the feel of her palm against his skin. Part of him wanted to agree with Gwen. The other part of him was frozen with the fears of all that could go wrong.

"I can't," he rasped.

"Fine." She turned away sharply, her hand dropping from his face. "If you don't believe in us, it's never going to work anyway. Let's just pretend this whole thing didn't happen. We still have to work together."

"I wanted to avoid this," he said petulantly.

Gwen slanted him a look. "Guess you were going to hurt me anyway."

"Gwen." He reached for her but she avoided his touch deftly.

"I just want to go home. Please."

The whole journey home, Gwen was quiet, her head turned towards the window. During various moments in the drive home, Arthur glanced at Gwen. Every look sent a shot of guilt and pain through him. She was right – the whole point of avoiding a relationship was to avoid hurting her, but he'd done that anyway. And he was hurting himself as well.

How many times had he told himself he wasn't his Dad? Surely he could do better than his Dad in matters of the heart. Maybe Gwen was right. They deserved a chance to see if this could work. And he knew what his Dad did wrong. He could avoid the same mistakes.

He pulled up at their houses. Gathering his courage, he turned to her. "Gwen."

Gwen had already opened the door, and was about to leave the car. Pausing briefly, she turned to him. "I just want to forget tonight."

Panicking, he repeated her name, suddenly aware that if he didn't make things right at this moment, he might not have another chance.

But she was gone, walking up the path to her house.

* * *

One thing about being Uther Pendragon's son was that you got very good at apologizing. This wasn't going to be the first time he apologized to his Dad and it wasn't going to be the last either. With a sigh, Arthur stepped out of the lift and smiled wanly at Catherine.

"He's in a meeting," said Catherine with no preamble. "You can wait here."

"Thanks."

It was a good half hour later that Uther stepped out of the lift. If he was surprised to see Arthur there, he didn't show it.

"I have ten minutes. Make it quick."

Arthur stood and followed his father into his office. Time to grovel. And then to get some answers.

"What do I owe the pleasure of this visit? I was quite certain that you thought I was the devil the last visit." Uther walked around his desk and settled on his chair, his eyes never leaving Arthur.

"Yeah, about that." Arthur sat down on the chair across from his Dad. "Gwen says that her problems aren't your fault."

Uther's only response was a smug smile.

Arthur pushed down his immediate annoyance. "So I'm here to apologise for what I said."

"Perhaps you should consider who are doing business with," said Uther, ignoring Arthur's apology. "If she can't handle her own account, how is she going to manage something like the city hall contract?"

"I'm sure Gwen is perfectly capable. There's actually something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh?"

"I wanted to talk about mother."

"No." Uther stood. "I have a meeting in a few minutes. You need to leave."

Completely unsurprised by Uther's reaction, Arthur stood as well. "You can't keep avoiding the subject. All I know are from gossip columns and Morgana."

"There's nothing you need to know."

As Uther walked past Arthur, he grabbed his Uther's arm, then dropping it immediately. "You said once you loved mother very much."

"And I did."

"But you broke her heart. You loved her and you broke her heart. You had an affair with Morgana's mother, then left her pregnant and alone –"

"I said I don't want to talk about this!" For a moment, Arthur thought he saw sadness and guilt in Uther's eyes but it didn't last long. Instead Uther simple shrugged. "Now, you can let yourself out."

* * *

"Let me get this straight. You told Gwen you cared about her and that's why you couldn't be in a relationship with her?" Merlin lounged in his pajamas in the kitchen, his hands wrapped around a mug of hot chocolate. "Did you think you lived in a soap opera?"

With a groan, Arthur slumped into the chair next to him.

"And it's three days before the presentation. We don't need you and Gwen on the odds." Merlin continued, pausing only to sip at his drink. "Seriously, you like her, she likes you. Why do you have to make it so complicated?"

"I didn't want to hurt her." But even as he said those words, Arthur realized just how foolish his words sounded.

Merlin let out an exasperated sigh. "Sounds like you did anyway."

"I can tell. She spent the whole day refusing to even look me in the eye." Arthur ran a hand across his face. "And whenever she spoke to me, it's like we have gone back to the first weeks we met."

The hours they were working together that afternoon, reviewing Merlin's interviews, going through Arthur's script, choosing the visuals, were possibly Arthur's worst hours. Gwen was coldly polite to him and his few attempts at broaching the topic of them when Merlin left the room was rebuffed immediately. He wondered if she was even still interested in a relationship with him now.

"Your problem is that you don't think. Or when you think, you let your secret fear of becoming your father cloud everything." Merlin hopped from his chair and dumped the mug into the sink. "I know your father broke your mother's heart and then went on to destroy Morgana's mother's life. But that's because your father is a selfish, uncaring ass."

"That's exactly what Vivian called me when we broke up for the last time."

Leaning against the sink, Merlin shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Please. You were, what, 21? I hate to say this, but you've grown up since then."

A reluctant smile tugged at Arthur's lips, even as he sighed. "Hopefully. I was so dumb."

"I could have told you that. Whatever it is, at least you and Gwen are professional enough when working. So we're still rehearsing tomorrow?"

Arthur nodded. "Morgana says she'll come over to listen."

"Good," said Merlin. "You know, I actually think we can do this - get the contract from under your father."

"Yeah," said Arthur. But even that thought wasn't enough to cheer him up. He needed to figure out how to get Gwen to believe in him again.

* * *

AN: Ok, I'm not sure about this chapter. ANYWAY, I estimate two more chapters in this fic. Thank you again for the encouragement and love. One day I will write a fic in which Arthur isn't full of Daddy issues. Haha.


	17. Chapter 17

"Someone wants to wish her uncle the best," said Morgana, Sarah in her arms.

Arthur hopped from the stage, unable to control the grin that spread across his face, and strode towards Morgana. "You came!"

"I said I would, didn't I? And Sarah wanted to wish you good luck. No, no. Don't hold her or she'll drool on you. Here, darling, give Arthur a kiss." Morgana made wet kissing noises and Sarah got the idea, leaning towards Arthur and bumping her head against his.

"Thank you, Sarah," said Arthur as he kissed her cheeks. "Come, bring her to see Merlin and Gwen."

* * *

For a moment, just before the doors opened, as Gwen and Merlin fussed on the stage, Arthur stood outside the double doors that led into the auditorium. Printed neatly on the door was his name (together with Gwen's and Merlin's, but his was larger).

_Arthur Pendragon._

How weird it was to see his name instead of his father's. For so long, he'd followed his father, never doing anything that his father would disapprove of, trying to be his father. But now, seeing his name up there, knowing that he, and not his father, had made the decisions, Arthur realized it was a turning point in his life.

"Merlin wants you to come in," Gwen popped out from the auditorium.

Before he could even reply, she had disappeared again and Arthur sighed. Pushing open the doors, he watched Gwen walk back down to the stage at the front.

A turning point in his life indeed.

* * *

Arthur had known that their bid for the contract had raised a lot of curiosity so he was expecting a large turnout at the presentation but as he stood outside the auditorium, smiling and shaking hands, he felt as if more than half the town was here. The last time he'd accompanied his father to a presentation, only the city representatives had turned up. And Catherine.

"Thank you for coming, Mrs Williams." Arthur shook the elderly lady's hand warmly.

She smiled and nodded. "I wouldn't have missed this for the world. Even my creaky knees aren't stopping me."

"Wow," said Gwen under her breath, even as she shook some other person's hand.

Next to him, greeting their audience stood Gwen, a bright smile plastered across her face. It was slightly strained but Arthur suspected that he was the only one who noticed, unsurprising since he'd apparently developed some sort of Gwen-antenna.

Briefly, he turned and smiled reassuringly at her. Her returning smile didn't reach her eyes.

Her usually messy hair was tied up in a tight, no-nonsense bun, but even then, a few strands had managed to escape and framed her face. Every time he snuck a look at her, he just wanted to tuck those strands behind her ears and kiss her to soften the strain lines that bracketed her lips. Which was why he avoided looking at her as much as possible. Not that this was particularly difficult since Gwen was making a point to ignore him unless absolutely necessarily.

"It's going to be a full house," he said as he smiled and shook yet another person's hand.

Not surprisingly, Gwen said nothing.

"Arthur Pendragon," said Isabel Ruiz as she gestured for her camera crew. "Perhaps you could answer some questions before the presentation. Will your father be here?"

Dragging his thoughts from Gwen, Arthur looked at Isabel. "I have no idea."

"Have you spoken to him since the bid?"

He shook his head. "I know you're hoping for something juicy for your twitter feed but questions and answers take place after the presentation."

An insincere smile on her face, Isabel nodded, summoned her camera crew with a snap of her fingers and disappeared into the auditorium.

It took some time but once most of the audience were seated, Arthur and Gwen made their way to the stage. Merlin was already, having been in charge of preparing for the presentation. Dressed in his best, Merlin looked nothing like the TV drama addict who camped out on his sofa that Arthur knew. Taking their seats on stage, Arthur nodded at Merlin who began the presentation.

As Merlin talked, Arthur studied the audience, looking for his father and watching their expressions hoping to get a gauge of how they were feeling. But truthfully, the only people who mattered were the group in front, pens in their hands, scribbling frantically in their notebooks. Civic leaders - they would be the ones voting and while the mood of the public might influence them, Arthur knew it was imperative that they be impressed.

"And now, may I present Arthur Pendragon, the man who made this all possible, who took all the risks and convinced us this was something worth doing for the town."

Arthur stood, catching Gwen's eye. For the first time in a long time, she smiled genuinely at him, mouthing the words 'good luck'. And that was enough to make him feel like he could do anything. Merlin patted him on the shoulder as he passed Arthur the floor. Taking a deep breath, Arthur smiled widely at his audience. It hit him then, that this was possibly the most important presentation of his life.

"Merlin is a liar. I didn't take all the risks."

* * *

Arthur hung back, partly because this part of the presentation was Gwen's turn to shine but mostly because he wanted to take the opportunity to watch her. With the tension between them since their little trip to the park, Arthur had been careful not to spend more time than necessarily with her, especially since his attempt at an apology had resulted in her saying quite coldly that she didn't want to hear it. Now, he could watch her without worry of being caught, of upsetting her.

She stood in the middle of the old city hall, her arms moved excitedly as she chattered on about what the mall would look like, how it would reflect the history of the building and more importantly, the history of the town. She had departed from the script she'd spent days writing about five minutes ago, not that anyone really cared, far too caught up with her passion and joy for the project. No script could have captured the sparkle in her eyes, the love in her voice or the bounce in her step as she led the audience around the building.

He wanted her to talk about him like that.

Eventually, all of them had to return to the staid auditorium.

"I forgot my script," whispered Gwen as she bit on her lower lip.

"You did well," said Merlin, slinging an arm around her and squeezing. "Couldn't have done any better."

Jealously ate at his stomach and Arthur walked a little bit faster so he was in front and didn't have to see them. Once on the stage, he watched as the rest of the audience returned to their seats, still reminiscing, swopping stories of the past. Exactly what he wanted, Arthur thought with a smile. The presentation couldn't have gone any better.

"I hope you enjoyed that little tour of city hall with Ms Thompson," said Merlin. "And I hope it reminded you of how far our little town has come."

Arthur knew the closing words by heart so he let his mind wander. His father hadn't turned up he realized with a mix of relief and disappointment. He snuck a glance at Gwen who sat next to him and smiled. Thankfully, everyone was watching Merlin and not him making lovesick eyes at her. If they won this bid, they would be working together for longer and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. Thunderous applause filled the auditorium, shaking Arthur out of his thoughts.

"We'll take any questions now," said Merlin before bowing with a flourish.

* * *

"Dad," said Arthur.

"Son." Reaching out, Uther slapped Arthur on the shoulder. "I admit, I didn't think you would get this far."

It was three days since the presentations and the results of the bid were just about to me announced. An emergency at one of her work sites meant that Gwen couldn't be around for the announcement, not that he had seen her recently since there was always a reason And while Merlin was all smiles and chatter, Arthur could feel the tension in him. It was the same tension Arthur was feeling.

"You shouldn't underestimate me," said Arthur. "I did learn from you."

A slight smile crossed Uther's face and disappeared quickly. "No. I have been short-changing you. In fact, I have a proposal for you."

This piqued Arthur's interest. "What proposal?"

But before Uther could expand on his idea, someone picked up the microphone and cleared their throat. "If everyone will settle down, we will announce the results of this bid for the city hall contract."

* * *

Everyone descended on them even before the town chairman finished his speech. And while Arthur had heard the words, it took a while for them to actually sink in. Not for Merlin, who was whooping and jumping and hugging everyone in sight. Arthur too mechanically shook everyone's hands and accepted their congratulations even as his mind

"Congratulations Arthur. You certainly proved your point."

Still in a daze, Arthur took his father's hand and shook it. He blinked. "Thank you."

"Get in touch with me. There's still that proposal I want to discuss. But for now, enjoy your win." Briefly, Uther smiled warmly at Arthur. "I am proud of you, son."

"Dad –"

"You are in big demand right now. We can talk later."

Before Arthur could gather his thoughts, a group of journalists swarmed around him.

"You defeated your father. Did you expect this?"

"How will this affect your relationship with your father?"

"Will you return to the company now?"

Sucking in a breath, Arthur pasted a smile on his face. "We are of course very pleased with this win. Not just because we worked really hard on this but also because I think it's a signal that while our town is progressing, we're not about to wipe away our past or the people who helped us reach where we are today. I hope that in future, there is less destruction of our heritage and more consideration of how we can develop buildings that celebrate the past which looking forward into the future."

"We understand that this currently is a temporary partnership between the three of you. Will you be looking into making this business partnership permanent? Or will you be returning to your father's company?"

"At this moment, we can't speak of our future plans." Arthur raised a hand. "And that's all the questions I'll take right now. Perhaps my father has more to say."

The press pushed a little but Arthur ignored them, looking around for his apparently drunk on happiness partner. They needed to inform Gwen, perhaps celebrate a little, then work on what was going to happen now. "Merlin! Merlin! Come on."

* * *

Gwen stood, hands on her hips, giving one of the workers a stern talking to, it appeared, her hair, despite being in a pony tail and under a safety helmet, clearly all mussed up, the way Arthur liked it.

"Hey," said Merlin.

Gwen fired off a few other words, then turned, her face brightening immediately when she caught sight of them. Immediately she ran towards them and flung herself at Merlin. "We did it! We did it!"

Laughing, Merlin twirled Gwen around before putting her back down. "We certainly did. We're amazing!"

Her face flushed, she looked up at Arthur, hesitating. Arthur smiled tentatively at her then leaned forward, "I think we can put aside our problems for one celebration."

She smiled at his words, tip-toed and slipped her arms around him. Arthur felt her breath against his cheek, then her lips. "Good job, Arthur," she whispered into his ear. And with those words, the tension, the chill that had been between them for most of the week, eased. Wrapping one arm around her waist, he squeezed her close, inhaling her scent, before taking a step back.

They sat in the tiny makeshift office Gwen had on site, sandwiches, some cheap supermarket wine and donuts on the table that dominated the office. Plans and various other papers were unceremoniously pushed to the side and Merlin and Gwen sat on the only two chairs. Arthur gingerly sat on a box Gwen insisted was strong enough to take his weight.

"What a celebration," said Gwen, taking a sip of wine from the plastic cup. "Warm wine, sandwiches from the café next door, and donuts. Never had one like this."

"See how special working with us is?" Merlin leaned back. "I can't believe we won."

Arthur grinned. "I had all the confidence."

"Right," laughed Gwen. "That's the story we're telling now?"

He looked at her, his heart turning over when she smiled fondly at him. Lunch ended abruptly when one of Gwen's workers popped his head in and called her out. He and Merlin packed up the remnants of their meal, finishing just as Gwen apologetically returned, saying she needed to deal with something.

Leftover wine in his hand, Arthur lingered as Merlin deposited the rest of the stuff into his car. "What are you doing tonight?"

Surprise then wary hope crossed her face. "I don't have any plans."

"Would you like to go for dinner? The two of us?" Arthur looked at the ground as the words tumbled out of his mouth. With his shoe, he drew some circles into the dirt. "Perhaps somewhere nice?"

"Alright."

He looked into her eyes, seeing the anticipation and expectation in them. Neither of them needed to say the words but they both knew it wasn't just an ordinary dinner.

* * *

The sun had already taken refuge leaving the moon in her wake and the cool night breeze rustled the leaves in the trees near Gwen's house. Sarah tucked snuggly in his arms, Arthur sat on the steps, a quickly cooling bag of takeaway next to him and no Gwen.

At the last minute, Morgana had foisted Sarah on him – usually not a problem for Arthur but of all nights? So he'd suggested dinner at her place, which she had agreed to in a curt text message.

And now, he was here and there was no one at home. It didn't help that he'd forgotten his keys and Merlin was out with his mother.

Arthur glanced at his phone. No message. He sighed and looked down at Sarah, running a finger across her cheek.

* * *

AN: Hello everyone! :D I hope this was worth the wait. If not, I hope that you enjoyed it anyway.


	18. Chapter 18

Gwen was only 40 minutes late, Arthur kept telling himself. No big deal. She was a grown woman and could take care of herself. Still he couldn't help the worry that was building in him. In his arms, Sarah started to fuss, as if she could feel his tension.

"It's alright." Arthur lifted her closer so he could coo into her ear. "Gwen will be home soon."

It became pretty obvious soon that Sarah's fussing had nothing to do with Gwen's absence. With a sigh, Arthur settled her on his lap and dug into her bag.

"You've had your diapers changed on a fancy, sports car and now on the cold concrete steps. We should make a drinking game of this – not a real alcohol drinking game. Perhaps a milk drinking –"

He heard her hurried footsteps, the pant of her breath before he heard her speak. "I don't think Morgana is going to be pleased with you teaching Sarah to drink."

Arthur lifted his head to see Gwen standing just beside him, an apologetic smile on her face. The sound of a car driving off made him look at the road.

"I'm sorry I'm late and I didn't answer your messages." Gwen sat down next to him and gently pinched Sarah's cheeks. "There was an emergency at Gwaine's worksite and my phone battery died."

Fastening the tabs on Sarah's diapers, Arthur let the worry and annoyance ease out of him.

"Arthur." She placed a hand on his arm. "I really am sorry I'm late."

Arthur picked Sarah up. Despite his efforts to ignore his jealousy, his first words to her were, "Was that Gwaine who drove you home?"

Aside from a quick blink, Gwen didn't react to his tone. "Yes. I left my car at the other worksite."

Sarah leaned over and gurgled, smiling gummily at Gwen. With a returning smile, Gwen ran a hand over Sarah's hair. Then she looked at Arthur again but said nothing.

Whatever remnants there were of any negative feelings he was holding completely disappeared and he lifted a hand to touch her cheek, indulging in the soft, warm skin under his fingers. She leaned into his touch and his heart lurched.

"I could drive you to work tomorrow," said Arthur. "Merlin can look after Sarah."

In the moonlight, he could see her smile. "That would be lovely. Although if you had better car, you could bring Sarah along."

Arthur laughed and rubbed his thumb across her cheek. "I love my car. So what if it only has two seats?"

"It's impractical."

"But so sexy," he grinned. And he wasn't sure if he was talking about his car or Gwen.

For a moment, they sat there, next to each other, her hand on his arm, his cupping her cheek. Between them, Sarah squirmed and gurgled, her tiny hands fisting in Arthur's shirt.

Gwen cleared her throat. "I'm hungry. Have you eaten?"

Standing, Arthur reached out a hand to help Gwen up. "No! I was too worried about you to eat. I got us Chinese takeaway but it's all cold now."

"Ah, I'm sorry."

"We can just heat it up."

As she unlocked her door, she turned back to look at him briefly. "Why didn't you wait for me at Merlin's? Sarah would have been more comfortable."

"I forgot the keys and Merlin's at his mom's."

He heard her laugh and shake her head, just as she pushed the door open, holding it so he could enter. "I'm sorry I was late."

"Yeah. I was worried – thought something happened to you."

"Thank you, for worrying about me." Gwen stepped towards him, then so quickly Arthur almost thought he imagined it, she kissed his cheek. "Let me get dinner heated up."

Arthur watched as she walked away, watched the way her loose hair swung behind her, the way her hips moved. Suddenly the night seemed full of promise and his heart lifted. Sarah whined, reminding Arthur that he wasn't alone with Gwen.

* * *

"Do you have frozen pies in your refrigerator all the time?" Arthur sunk his fork into one of them. Despite the few days of tension, it felt as if they were back to old times, after their rocky beginning and before he botched things up.

"I usually make several when I have time. Or when I'm stressed."

"The past few days have been pretty stressful," said Arthur. "But it was all worth it. At least I hope you think so."

Gwen nodded, her eyes bright. "I cannot believe that we won! I was so sure that your dad would get the vote – he did promise a lot more profit than we did."

"Turns out that people aren't as money minded as we would think."

"True."

Arthur raised his mug of water. "To us."

"To us," said Gwen with a smile, lifting her own glass. "I guess we're in business together for longer."

"Yeah, that's something we need to discuss, lawyers and all. But –" Arthur reached out and took her hand, buoyed by the fact that she didn't pull away. "I don't really want to talk about business now." His heart was pounding so hard, Arthur wasn't quite sure if he would be able to hear Gwen's reply.

"Oh." Her eyes widened, then her tongue darted out and she licked her lips, causing an arrow of desire to shoot through Arthur. Then she straightened. "I remember you saying that you cared too much to be with me. And now, we're going to be working together in the long term."

Arthur swallowed. "I did. And I was wrong."

She lifted an eyebrow, placed her fork on the table and leaned back in her chair. "And what has changed? Because, as much as I like you, I don't want to be in a maybe-maybe-not relationship."

"I missed you. I missed this. Us. Together."

And then, of course, Sarah started to cry.

Squeezing Gwen's hand, Arthur sighed and stood. He picked Sarah up, rubbing her back as she bawled into his neck. As he paced, he muttered nonsense to Sarah. She'd her dinner and her diaper was clean which meant she probably woke up to an unfamiliar place and decided to cry.

"Anything I can do?" asked Gwen.

He smiled at her. "Sorry but she'll calm down soon enough. Morgana had to deal with a work emergency tonight and I said I'd take her."

"You love Sarah a lot."

"Of course I do." He shrugged, holding Sarah closer as her wails became choking sobs. "She's family. And you know, my family isn't great at staying together and I just want Sarah to know some kind of stability."

"You mentioned your family when you said we couldn't be together."

"You said it didn't matter." Arthur tried to keep the hurt from his voice but Gwen's wince suggested he wasn't successful.

Her gaze dropped to the table and she began tracing patterns on the wood. "Perhaps I wasn't being very understanding. You and Morgana have different mothers."

By now, aside from the occasional hiccup, Sarah had calmed down. Her face was snuggled in the crook of Arthur's neck and even though she was heavy, Arthur was loath to set her back down on the sofa. Instead, he sat back down on the chair at the table, jostling Sarah a little to a more comfortable position. "My father wasn't the faithful type, which wouldn't be a problem if he hadn't promised both my mother and Morgana's mother faithfulness." He let out a sigh. "It was a mess and my mother sank into depression and, and it was just awful all round. I don't want to leave behind this sort of destruction."

"But you're not your father, Arthur."

"You'd think at my age, I would realize it." He smiled wanly. "But I think I never really believed it till I started work on this project. And honestly, part of me wanted to be my Dad."

"I wanted to be my Dad too," said Gwen quietly.

Arthur laughed. "I bet your Dad was a kind, good man. After all, he has a kind, good daughter."

"Well, your Dad has a loving, responsible and really sexy son." Somehow Gwen had moved closer to him, so close all he had to do was to turn his head and lean forward to touch her.

He didn't know what to say.

"Arthur."

"Gwen," he breathed.

"Tell me you want to be with me." Her finger touched his lips, dragging across them.

Arthur could barely get the words out. "I want nothing more."

It was at that moment she kissed him, leaning over and pressing her lips against his. It was brief and uncomfortable with Sarah between them but Arthur didn't care. When Gwen moved away, he followed, catching her lips in another kiss. Against his mouth, Gwen sighed.

"This is better than winning the bid," he said. Gwen's laugh made his heart expand so much he thought it would burst.

* * *

"It's silly to take your car and have you make two separate trips to drop me off then Sarah," said Gwen the next morning. "What about Merlin's car? He said that he's going to spend the day relaxing in front of the TV."

Arthur rolled his eyes, then kissed her the moment she got within touching distance. "What exactly do you have against my car?"

Her hands slid up his chest and she kissed him once more. "Nothing except how impractical it is. Take his car. You can pick me up after work in your car and we can have dinner."

"Mmm. Just the two of us?"

She smiled against his lips. "Yes, without Sarah or Merlin."

"Sounds like a plan. Give me the keys."

"I'll drive," said Gwen darting away from him and into her car. "I think I'm a better driver."

With a shake of his head and a smile, Arthur went to get Sarah.

* * *

"Congratulations," said Catherine when Arthur exited the lift. "You did well."

"I just gave the people what they wanted. Is my Dad in?"

Catherine peered at her diary. "You really should learn to make an appointment like other people."

In too good a mood to let anything bring him down, Arthur just grinned and sat on the sofa. "I'll wait."

"I hope you're not here to gloat."

"Me? I am not my father. He mentioned a proposal so I thought I'd drop by and find out what it is. Also, I thought now that the tough part is over, we could have dinner together."

"You never give up," said Catherine and Arthur could hear the fondness in her voice.

"Someone has to try and keep the family together."

"Hmm. Half an hour and he'll be between meetings."

"Thanks!" Leaning back into the sofa, Arthur pulled out his phone and sent Gwen a message, pleased when her reply came almost immediately. They traded a few more messages much to his delight. He liked this whole dating Gwen very much and sent her another message telling her so.

_Arthur, I need to work. Stop distracting me._

He bit down on a grin and sent her one last message, just as his father walked out of his office. Slipping the phone into his pocket, Arthur stood. "Dad."

"Arthur, come in. Good work on that bid. I didn't think you had it in you."

"I had help."

Uther sat down and shook his head. "I think the town council were overly sentimental. But I guess we'll see how successful your project will be when it's done."

"You doubt it will succeed?"

"Money talks, Arthur. You appealed to people's sentimental side but when there's no money coming in, it's hard to be sentimental." Uther sighed. "You are still so naïve."

The pleasure of getting praised by his father disappeared and Arthur felt the familiar twinge of annoyance. "We've run the numbers and – look, this is none of your business. I came here to hear about your proposal for me."

"My proposal has everything to do with the bid. Thompson Architect is a small outfit and while they do decent work, I am skeptical of their ability to handle this project."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "So? As I said, this is not your business."

"I am proposing that you let us do the project instead. Thompson Architect can be consultants on the project and we will do the heavy lifting."

Arthur stood. "You must be out of your mind if you think I'm going to hand over the project to you."

"You'll get your job back with a promotion. And you know that unlike Thompson Architect we have the experience and the resources to guarantee a success."

"No."

"Don't be so quick, Arthur. Think about it. Now, I have an important meeting." Uther stood and walked to the door, opening it for Arthur. "Think about it. Think about yourself."

At the door, Arthur looked his father in the eye. "There is nothing to think about. Merlin and Gwen believed in me and my ideas. You didn't. I'm not going to abandon them because you're offering me that position I have wanted and deserved."

"Suit yourself," said Uther. "I can wait till the end of the month for an answer."

Pushing down the urge to yell at his father, Arthur clenched his jaw and stalked out of the office. And he knew at that very moment, that all his desire to keep his family together, to somehow develop a proper father-son relationship with his father was never going to materialize. As the lift descended, his anger faded, replaced with sadness and regret. He blinked, trying to keep his tears back.

* * *

Gwen was tucked against his side and he played with the curls of her hair. Merlin sat watching some television soap. So much for an evening alone with Gwen. Not that Arthur really minded.

"Are you alright?" Gwen brushed her lips against his jaw. "Don't think about Uther. He doesn't deserve your consideration."

"Gwen is right. He's always been an ass. You're better off without him," said Merlin even as he kept his eyes on the television.

Letting his head fall back against the sofa, Arthur sighed. "I just really wanted a proper family, you know?"

"You know," said Merlin. "You have us. Gwen is clearly into you and well, I like you well enough. And if blood means so much to you, there's still Morgana and Sarah."

Arthur looked down at Gwen who smiled at him, then at Merlin in his pajamas, staring in rapt attention at the television. He thought of Sarah and how much he loved her. He thought of Morgana and how despite their difficult early years, she stood by him.

He dropped a kiss on Gwen's head, as the warmth of affection filled him. "You can be quite smart sometimes, Merlin."

* * *

AN: Thank you for staying all the way and for all the comments. There'll be a fluffy epilogue and I guess that's it for this fic. If you're interested, I'm probably going to try and finish up pirates next. Although I love modern aus and am always itching to write another one, but I think I'm getting repetitive. Haha. Anyway, thanks again for the feedback, the thoughts and the concrit. I really, really appreciate them all.

ETA: Ugh, I c&amp;p the wrong version so there's a minor but important change when they are talking about cars because there was logic failure. Sorry!


	19. Epilogue

Arthur pulled the pillow over his face. Why was Gwen such an early riser? He could hear her washing up and humming to herself. With a groan, he pressed the pillow into his face and squeezed his eyes shut. Only to have it eased out of his hands as Gwen, smelling of mint and flowers, leaned over and kissed him.

"Get up, lazy bum."

He shut his eyes again. "No. I had a late night."

Beside him, he felt Gwen crawl into bed, the bed creaking under her weight. "And whose fault is that?"

"Yours, for being so tempting."

Her breath fluttered against his cheek when she laughed and he cracked open one eye. "Arthur, what kind of boss would I be if my employees come into work late?"

Opening his other eye, Arthur scowled. "We're partners."

Gwen pushed him gently. "Get up."

Half an hour later, Arthur walked out of the bedroom into the kitchen where Gwen passed him a mug of coffee. He kissed her cheek.

"I'm going to visit the site today. Don't forget you need to meet up with our lawyer this afternoon to see that the papers are in order."

"Mmm." Arthur sipped his coffee. "Bossy and organized."

"What?"

Arthur placed the mug on the table, the wrapped his arms around Gwen. "Back when I first knew you, I had a list."

"A list?" An amused smile appeared on her face. "A list of what?"

"Your traits – the good and the bad."

"Oh? And what were my bad traits?" One hand slid into his hair.

He grinned at her. "You know, I can't remember – probably messy and arrogant and – oof!"

Gwen rolled her eyes at him. "You better tell me my good traits before I pinch you again."

"You." Arthur kissed her. "You are kind, generous, funny and most importantly –"

"Yes?"

"You make good pie." He let go of her before she could pinch him again. "Look at the time. We're going to be late."

* * *

Merlin met Gwen and him at the door with Sarah in his arms. Immediately, Arthur grinned and reached for her. "Hello darling. How have you been?"

"She's been cranky, that's how she has been," called Morgana from the living room. "Dinner will be here in half an hour. I ordered Indian."

"Sounds good," said Gwen as she hung up their coats, then ruffling Sarah's soft hair.

"I brought the numbers for the Lincoln project, Gwen. Want to see them?"

"How do they look?"

Merlin shrugged. "Not that great but I think Arthur might be able to work out a more favourable deal. They want to meet next week."

"Arrange a meeting with Arthur, then."

"Alright," said Morgana. "Enough talk about business. Don't you three already do that all day? You're boring Sarah."

Arthur bounced Sarah on his knee. "Sarah thinks construction and architecture are very interesting. One day, she's going to work at Thompson and Pendragon."

"It's just Thompson," said Gwen. "The name isn't changing."

Leaning over, Arthur kissed Gwen's forehead. "Whatever you say, boss."

"You two are disgusting," muttered Morgana as she switched on the television.

* * *

Two months into their relationship and things were getting ridiculous. Half of Arthur's clothes were in Gwen's house and the other half in Merlin's. And he had two toothbrushes, two shavers and two of a bunch of other things.

When he mentioned this to Gwen, she didn't say much.

"An apartment in the city would be most convenient, don't you think?" Arthur scanned the ads in the newspaper. In a perfect world, Gwen would ask him to move in with her, but she didn't and Arthur tried not to read too much into that.

"It would be near the office," said Gwen.

"That was what I was thinking. Rental would be on the high side though. Maybe I could get a place near here."

"Maybe," said Gwen.

Arthur looked up at Gwen with a frown. Putting down the newspaper, he studied her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking about what to do this weekend."

"How about apartment hunting with me?"

"Why not ask Merlin?"

"Alright." Arthur pulled his chair closer to Gwen and took her hands. "Are you unhappy I'm getting an apartment?"

She sighed then looked at him. "Have you been unhappy here with me?"

"What?"

"I thought we were happy together, here." She pouted briefly and looked away.

Immediately, Arthur cupped her face, urging her to look at him. "Hey, I am very happy here. But this is your place. Not mine."

"We could make it our place."

He smiled. "Yeah? Are you asking me to move in?"

She smiled back at him. "I guess I am."

"Guess I don't need this then." Arthur folded the newspaper and tossed them aside.

* * *

In the end, they lived in Gwen's house for about a year or so before they looked for another apartment nearer to their office. Partly because the travel time was becoming a nuisance as their business grew but also because they needed room for a new member of their family.

Arthur tossed a ball to Sarah who laughed and tried to push it back to him. "Ball," she yelled every time Arthur threw the ball at her. In slightly over a year, she had grown so much and Arthur found himself falling more in love with her. They had just been apartment hunting and were taking a break at the city park.

Bored by the ball, Sarah clambered over to where Gwen was lying and patted her slightly rounded stomach. "Baby."

Gwen pushed herself up on her elbows and smiled down at Sarah. "You're going to have a cousin. Can you say cousin?"

"Baby," said Sarah again. "Gwen baby."

"Clever girl." Gwen gathered Sarah to her and kissed her.

Arthur watched as Gwen continued to carry on a one-sided conversation with Sarah. She was going to make a brilliant mother and Arthur just hoped he would be a good father.

* * *

It was their first night in their new apartment and Arthur was a bundle of nerves. Opening the door, he ushered Gwen in. Boxes were strewn all over the place but at least the main pieces of furniture were already all fixed up.

More importantly, the bed was ready because Gwen was very eager to christen it. Arthur barely had a chance to put his things down before Gwen was wrapped around him and pushing his jacket off his shoulders. With a laugh, Arthur led her past the boxes and into their bedroom, gently pushing her onto the bed. Shrugging out of his clothes, he quickly joined her and helped her with her clothes.

"You distracted me," grumbled Arthur even as he tucked her into his arms, his hand curling protectively around her round stomach, some time later.

"Distracted you from what?" Gwen asked sleepily.

Arthur reached over to where he left his pants and dug into the pockets. Turning back to Gwen, he presented the small ring box to her. "This. Gwen, marry me."

For a while, Gwen said nothing and just stared at the box.

"Open it," he urged, his nerves building again. Surely she wouldn't say no.

With trembling fingers, Gwen opened the box, then looked back at him. He thought there were tears in her eyes and that only made Arthur even more nervous.

"I love you, Gwen. I want to be with you forever."

"I do too," whispered Gwen. She dropped the box onto their bed, then flung herself at him. "I love you too."

_~ THE END ~_


End file.
